IndiGo, Airbus Ink MoU to Acquire Over 30 A350-900 Widebody Aircraft
With the goal of growing its long-haul network over the next ten years, IndiGo and European aircraft maker Airbus inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to acquire thirty more A350-900 widebody aircraft.
Reports state that the order is valued at approximately $5 billion.
The airline placed an order for 30 A350-900 widebody aircraft from Airbus in April of last year. Ordering wide body aircraft for the first time was done by India's biggest airline in April 2024.
IndiGo was given the opportunity to expand the wide-bodied plane purchase to 100 aircraft with the April 2024 order.
Between 2027 and the beginning of the following decade, Airbus will begin supplying IndiGo with A350-900 aircraft. Elbers stated that the next delivery of 30 A350-900 aircraft will take place during the first and second half of the following decade.
Widebody planes can fly farther than narrow-body planes since they have bigger engines and fuel tanks. The range of the A350-900 aircraft is around 15,000 kilometers. With this capacity, IndiGo will be able to run nonstop flights on long-haul and ultra-long-haul routes, including those between India and the US, Australia, and Europe. Additionally, this puts IndiGo in a direct competitive position on these profitable routes against Air India and other international airlines like Emirates and Qatar Airways.
At the moment, IndiGo operates roughly 430 aircraft. Just three of them are widebody aircraft: one B787, leased from Norse Atlantic, and two B777s, leased from Turkish Airlines.
Within the next three months, Turkish Airlines will receive the two B777 aircraft back.
Turkey's diplomatic and military backing during the April 22 terror assault in Pahalgam has recently increased diplomatic tensions between India and Turkey.
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IndiGo's business strategy has lately evolved. Last year, the airline placed its first order for wide-body aircraft. Additionally, the airline began offering business class on its flights last year. The airline plans to have 45 business class aircraft by the end of this year. Last year, the airline also launched a frequent flyer club, which is exclusive to full-service airlines.