- Paris Airshow 2023 starts with a bang
- Worth roughly $55bn (£43bn)
- IndiGo’s order book shoots upto 1330 aircraft with Airbus
- Deliveries between 2030 and 2035.
By Sangeeta Saxena
Paris. 19 June 2023. It was Day 1 at Paris Air Show 2023 and India’s popular airline Indigo signed the deal with European aircraft major Airbus for a whooping 500 A320 neos. What a comeback it is for the domestic aviation industry ! Just when airlines were finding it difficult to recover from the Covid hit, Indigo has made the civil aviation sector wake up from it’s slumber of self pity. Another reiteration is that single aisle aircraft never go out of demand.
IndiGo, India’s largest airline by market share, has placed a firm order for 500 A320 Family aircraft, setting the record for the biggest single purchase agreement in the history of commercial aviation. The latest agreement takes the total number of Airbus aircraft on order by IndiGo to 1,330, establishing its position as the world’s biggest A320 Family customer.
The deal, announced on the Day 1 of the Airshow, is worth roughly $55bn (£43bn) before any bulk-order discounts taking up IndiGo order book of 1,330 Airbus aircraft. The deliveries will be between 2030 and 2035.
The historic purchase agreement was signed by Rahul Bhatia, Promoter & Managing Director of IndiGo, Dr. Venkataramani Sumantran, Chairman and Non-Executive Independent Director of IndiGo, Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO, and Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International, at the Paris Air Show 2023, infront of a packed house and Secretary Civil Aviation , Government of India.
Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, said, “It is difficult to overstate the significance of IndiGo’s new historic order for 500 Airbus A320 Family aircraft. An order book now of almost 1000 aircraft well into the next decade, enables IndiGo to fulfil its mission to continue to boost economic growth, social cohesion and mobility in India. At IndiGo, we take pride in being India’s preferred airline for connectivity in and with India; and by doing so, being one of the leading airlines in the world. This order strongly reaffirms IndiGo’s belief in the growth of India, in the A320 Family and in our strategic partnership with Airbus.”
Airbus A320neo is a family of aircraft from the European company Airbus.Launched on December 1 , 2010, it made its first flight on September 25, 2014 , and was being deployed for the first time commercially by Lufthansa , the January 25, 2016 . It is equipped with either CFM LEAP-1A engines or Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engines and curved winglets (called by Airbus Wingtip fence ). The A320neo is 15-20% more fuel efficient than the first A320 Family, and shows reductions in CO2 emissionsof the same order and about 50% for those of nitrogen oxides 1.
“This landmark order marks a new chapter in Airbus and IndiGo’s relationship that is democratising affordable air travel for millions of people in the world’s fastest growing aviation market. It is also a resounding endorsement of the A320 Family’s best-in-class operating economics that have been powering IndiGo’s growth for almost two decades. We cherish our long-standing relationship with IndiGo and are proud of our success together. We look forward to contributing to the growth of India’s air connectivity in its domestic network and into international markets through the expansion of this formidable partnership” , said Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International at Airbus.
Since its first A320neo aircraft was delivered in March 2016, Indigo’s fleet of A320neo Family has grown into one of the world’s largest. with 264 aircraft in operation (162 A320neo, 79 A321neo, 21 A320ceo and 2 A321 freighters. IndiGo placed its first order with Airbus in 2005 (100 A320 Family) and again in 2011 (180 A320 Family including the NEO), in 2014 (250neo Family), and in 2019 (300 A320neo Family) taking its previous total order book to 830 A320 Family aircraft.
Ever since Airbus launched its A320 Family, the company’s single-aisle jetliners product line has been a choice or to be true recurring choice in the short-to-medium-haul aircraft segment.
IndiGo is amongst the fastest growing low-cost carriers in the world with a market share of 57.7% in India (September 2022). IndiGo is not only the most efficient low fare operator domestically but is also ranks in top 7 global low-cost airlines. It has been ranked as the 4th most punctual airline globally in 2021 by OAG Punctuality League. The airline has been recognized among the most valuable and strongest airline brands worldwide, as per the Brand Finance Airlines 50 report for two consecutive years, ranking #43 in 2020 and #36 in 2021.
