Wide-body space traveler IndiGo plans to purchase thirty A350 aircraft
The biggest airline in the nation, IndiGo, made its entry into the wide-body market on Thursday when it revealed that it has placed a definite order for 30 A350-900 aircraft, with the option to buy up to 70 more.
After more than 17 years of operation, IndiGo now operates more than 350 narrow-body aircraft and is growing its global footprint. Additionally, the airline is using two wide-body Boeing 777s that it leased from Turkish Airlines to fly from Delhi and Mumbai to Istanbul.
The Trent XWB engine from Rolls-Royce will power the A350-900 aircraft; the precise configuration of this aircraft, whose delivery is scheduled to begin in 2027, will be determined at a later time.
IndiGo announced that it is joining the “wide-body space with an order for 30 firm Airbus A350-900 aircraft” in a press statement.
Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, called it a “historic moment.” With almost 60% of the local market, the airline also has the option to buy an extra 70 Airbus A350 family aircraft “at its discretion, for possible future needs under certain conditions.”
The A350-900 aircraft’s cost was not disclosed since Airbus no longer publishes the list price of its aircraft. The sole airline flying A350s in India at the moment is Air India. Currently, SpiceJet has leased certain wide-body aircraft, while Air India and Vistara are the domestic carriers with wide-body aircraft in their fleets. Additionally, attempts are underway to establish India as a global aviation center, coinciding with IndiGo’s most recent order.
