Airbus Lands 430-Jet Deal at Dubai Airshow

Indigo Partners might have made the largest aviation purchase in history. Reports coming out of the Dubai Airshow say veteran airline investor Bill Franke of Indigo Partners signed a preliminary order with Airbus on Wednesday morning for 430 jets, totaling $49.5 billion.

The deal includes 273 A320neos and 157 A321neos for four airlines Indigo has stakes in: Wizz Air, Frontier Airlines, Jetsmart and Mexico’s Volaris.

"We've done a little research and we don't ‎think there's been a larger order ever," Franke said at the press conference in Dubai on Wednesday.

Franke hopes a firm contract order will be resolved by the end of this year.

"It's particularly gratifying to all of us at Airbus when it comes from a group of airline professionals who know our products as well as the folks at Indigo Partners do. We are proud to augment their airline fleets," Airbus sales chief John Leahy said.