Indian airlines are buying a lot of stuff. Here is evidence
The demand for air travel is rising in India, which is driving airlines to invest in growing their fleets by placing large aircraft orders.
The latest development concerns IndiGo, which on April 25, 2024, placed an order with European manufacturer Airbus for thirty A350-900 widebody aircraft.
With this transaction, which is valued at about $4 billion to $5 billion, IndiGo will be purchasing widebody aircraft for the first time for its operations.
Turkish Airlines leases two B777 aircraft to IndiGo for use in its existing fleet. The airline said that delivery of the A350-900 aircraft is expected to start in 2027, with the precise configuration to be decided later.
Additionally, under certain circumstances, IndiGo is able to acquire an additional 70 Airbus A350 family aircraft to meet its future demands.
To accommodate the growing demand for air travel in the nation, Indian airlines have jointly bought 1150 aircraft during the last 15 months.
The Tata-owned Air India Group previously made news in February 2023 when it placed an order for 470 aircraft, of which 250 were from Airbus and 220 from Boeing. According to media sources, this order is valued at over $70 billion.
The deal is for 470 definite aircraft plus another 370 options and purchase rights that will be acquired from Airbus and Boeing over the course of the following ten years.
In June 2023, IndiGo made news once again when it ordered the most number of aircraft ever, 500 A320neo family aircraft from Airbus. It is anticipated that this aircraft will be delivered between 2030 and 2035.
The order in question has a $55 billion list price, but the real selling prices—which are normally not disclosed—are usually less.
In January 2024, the recently established airline Akasa Air placed an order for 150 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which, at current list prices, is estimated to be worth $20 billion. This purchase represents an additional fleet expansion.
This purchase consists of a combination of 737 MAX-8 and 737 MAX-10 models, with the capacity to carry up to 230 people each.
With purchase rights included, the orders made during the last 15 months totaled 1590 aircraft, demonstrating the industry’s dedication to fulfilling India’s increasing demand for air travel.
The need for air travel is rising in the nation, and there are plans to build additional airports, so it seems that aircraft orders will likely keep rising in the years to come.
