IndiGo, India’s largest airline, has placed an order for 500 Airbus A320s—the largest single purchase agreement in the history of commercial aircraft, the airline said.
The purchase agreement boosts the total of Airbus aircraft on order from IndiGo to 1,330, making the airline Airbus’ largest customer.
The sale took place at the Paris Air Show, and the agreement was signed by IndiGo’s Rahul Bhatia, promoter and managing director; Dr. Venkataramani Sumantran, chairman and non-executive independent director; and Pieter Elbers, CEO; and Airbus’ Guillaume Faury, CEO; and Christian Scherer, chief commercial officer and head of international.
“An order book now of almost 1,000 aircraft well into the next decade enables IndiGo to fulfill its mission to continue to boost economic growth, social cohesion, and mobility in India,” Elbers said. “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.”
‘Democratizing Affordable Air Travel’
According to IndiGo, the air carrier is among the fastest-growing, low-cost carriers in the world. The present fleet is made up of more than 300 aircraft. The airline operates more than 1,800 flights daily, connecting 78 domestic destinations with plans to expand to international operations.
“This landmark order marks a new chapter in Airbus and IndiGo’s relationship that is democratizing affordable air travel for millions of people in the world’s fastest growing aviation market,” Scherer said. “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.”
