Low-cost carrier IndiGo, India’s largest airline by passenger volume, ordered 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft as a step toward expanding its international long-haul routes. Currently IndiGo offers more than 2,000 daily flights to 122 destinations, 88 in India and 34 abroad, the latter including Hong Kong and China, Indonesia, Central Asia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf States.
The Airbus A350 is a twin-engine wide-body aircraft offered in two variants. The smaller A350-900 seats 300-350 passengers.
Neither IndiGo nor Airbus reported the value of the new order, which could be as much as $9.6 billion based on list prices for the A350. IndiGo already has booked the largest order outstanding for Airbus’ narrow-body A320 series jets, and it is the world’s largest operator of the A320neo, and second largest operator of the A321neo. It’s also the source of the largest order to-date for the forthcoming A321XLR, and extended-range version of the A321 that’s due to begin deliveries in 2025.
The A350 aircraft is designed with a high proportion of carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer materials, to reduce weight, and powered by two Rolls-Royce Trend XWB high-bypass turbofan engines.
“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,” stated the carrier’s CEO, Pieter Elbers.
