Huge Airbus A350 Order

Airbus has scored a further increase to its backlog with IndiGo finalising a commitment for 30 more A350s.

The Indian carrier is looking to leverage the widebody program to enhance its fleet and elevate the business to the next level as demand increases for flights to and from the country.

The latest deal announced by Airbus and IndiGo brings the total number of aircraft on order to 60 and will enable the Indian company to take the next step in its development.

Labelled as a special day, this latest commitment builds upon an existing one where the airline had purchased 30 of the aircraft; now it’ll convert the MoU into firm orders.

The A350’s unparalleled fuel efficiency, range and passenger comfort perfectly align with IndiGo’s ambitious growth plans and international long-haul network ambitions. This milestone reinforces our strong partnership with one of the fastest-growing airlines in the world, and we look forward to supporting their expansion into new long-haul markets.

Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, EVP Sales of the Commercial Aircraft business at Airbus.

IndiGo has strong confidence in the Indian aviation sector moving forward and believes these Airbus aircraft will reinforce the true commencement of their long-haul operations with their own wide-body jets.

For the moment, IndiGo has looked to strike lease agreements with other companies to launch just some of these long-haul operations sooner rather than later.

With the knowledge that the Airbus A350 has faced supply chain woes, IndiGo has looked to the leasing market, whether through Boeing 777s with Turkish Airlines or agreements for the Boeing 787 with Norse Atlantic, to get a taste of what its future will soon look like.

While IndiGo is already leveraging a strong fleet of Airbus aircraft, primarily visible through relationships with the A320 family of aircraft, that will soon change with a fresh reliance on the A350.

With Air India, the flag carrier attempting to rebuild, IndiGo believes there is an opportunity to substantially increase its market share moving forward and capitalise on the misfortunes of its competitor.

As a result, a move to fly widebody aircraft offers the chance to strengthen the airline’s network and, in particular, overcome previous limitations, which will make long-haul markets within reach.

IndiGo’s Airbus A350 Order

IndiGo’s sizeable Airbus A350 contract was placed in April 2024 after much speculation with the airline purchasing up to 100 planes.

The specifics behind the contract saw the company select 30 firm A350-900s. Still, there were purchase rights for an additional 70 jets; now, 30 of those have been converted, bringing the total to 60 expected deliveries.

Today’s historic moment marks a new chapter for IndiGo and will further shape the future of the airline and for Indian aviation at the same time. For IndiGo, after successfully pioneering the Indian skies with an unprecedented journey, its fleet of 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft will allow IndiGo to embark on its next phase of becoming one of the leading global aviation players.

Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo

Before this order, IndiGo had been in a position where it was debating the purchase of a long-haul product for some time, with possibilities including the A330neo and 787, both of which had been rumoured for some time as being of interest.

However, the purchase of the A350 represented an essential step in the right direction and has brought the commitment to next-generation Airbus aircraft to almost 1,000 aircraft.

Deliveries of the A350, among other jets, will continue into the 2030s and are part of IndiGo’s planning for the future, with the airline working closely with Airbus to give it the best chance of success moving forward.