IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, on Thursday placed order of 30 wide-body A350-900 planes as part of its expansion into international markets.
“IndiGo agreed to place an order for 30 Firm A350-900 aircraft, which will enable IndiGo to spread its wings further and expand its network. From the various Indian metros, IndiGo will be able to connect to the world,” it said in an statement.
Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus EVP sales, commercial aircraft said, “ With the A350 selection, Indigo is now embarking on further opening the world to India. We will support the airline to take this pioneering and strategic step.”
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Up until now, the airline primarily operated narrow-body Airbus aircraft, with only two Boeing 777 planes leased from Turkish Airlines for the Istanbul route, PTI reported. The newly ordered planes will be equipped with Rolls Royce’s Trent XWB engine.
IndiGo, with a fleet of over 350 aircraft, made headlines last June when it placed the largest single aircraft order in aviation history, securing 500 planes from Airbus. This takes company’s order book to nearly 1,000 A320 Family aircraft, including variants like the A320NEO, A321NEO, and A321XLR, slated for delivery into the next decade.
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“This new order will bring the strategic relationship between IndiGo and Airbus to an unprecedented level in terms of depth, breadth, and size. For the relationship between IndiGo and Rolls Royce, this marks the beginning of a new, long and fruitful relationship,” IndiGo said in the statement.
The aircraft’s specific configuration will be determined later, with deliveries anticipated to commence from 2027, the air carrier said.
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Alongside the confirmed order for 30 A350-900 aircraft, IndiGo holds purchase rights for an additional 70 Airbus A350 Family planes, which it may exercise based on specific conditions and future requirements, it said.