As the airline begins on an ambitious long-term expansion path, IndiGo on Monday revealed placing a definitive order to acquire 500 narrow-body planes from Airbus, making it one of the largest aircraft acquisitions by an airline ever.Less than five months after Air India made orders with Airbus and Boeing for 470 aircraft, a multibillion-dollar agreement was reached. The most recent order placed by IndiGo with Airbus is the largest ever made by a carrier.The historic agreement aims to further strengthen IndiGos dominance in India, the third-largest aviation market, as well as to support worldwide expansion. Additionally, after a pandemic-induced collapse, air travel has recovered, and Asia is witnessing a sharp rise in consumer expenditure and a love for flying.“The latest agreement takes the total number of Airbus aircraft on order by IndiGo to 1,330, establishing its position as the worlds biggest A320 Family customer,” an official release stated. The latest order will also provide IndiGo a further steady stream of deliveries between 2030 and 2035.Today we have set another truly momentous and very exciting step in the journey of IndiGo as we placed a firm order for 500 Airbus of the A320 Family. This is the largest-ever single aircraft purchase by any airline with @Airbus. #goIndiGo pic.twitter.com/8ix3TSivIT— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) June 19, 2023 “With this additional firm order of 500 aircraft for 2030-2035, IndiGos order-book has almost 1.000 aircraft yet to be delivered well into the next decade. This IndiGo order-book comprises a mix of A320NEO, A321NEO and A321XLR aircraft,” the company said.Historic landmark for India: Scindia on Indigos dealCivil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia speaking on IndiGo placing an order for 500 Airbus A320 Family aircraft, calls it a historic landmark. During a press conference, the civil aviation minister said, “India has set another landmark with this largest-ever recorded order by a carrier with any aircraft manufacturer in the world…Every dollar invested in civil aviation yields $3.1 in terms of new growth, as well as the employment multiplier. Every direct job in civil aviation results in 6.1 indirect jobs in the sector. And therefore, there are tremendous dividends that accrue from the ever-expanding civil aviation sector,” he said.#WATCH | Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia speaks on IndiGo placing an order for 500 Airbus A320 Family aircraftIndia has set another landmark with this largest-ever recorded order by a carrier with any aircraft manufacturer in the world…Every dollar invested… pic.twitter.com/7OVkBGAXBD— ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2023 He further added, “I believe this a historic day…In 2013-14 the number of our air fleet stood around 400, it has risen by 75% and now stands at around 700. If you look at Air India – combining Air Bus and Boeing – there is order for 470 aircraft. This is more than the national air fleet in 2013-14. Now IndiGo has placed an order for 500 aircraft, this is more than 25% than our fleet in 2013-14. This shows that there is immense potential in Civil Aviation sector of India.”#WATCH | Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia says, I believe this a historic day…In 2013-14 the number of our air fleet stood around 400, it has risen by 75% and now stands at around 700. If you look at Air India – combining Air Bus and Boeing – there is order for 470… pic.twitter.com/N7NUF81rCE— ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2023 Speaking about rise in airfares, the minister said, “There was a rise in airfare due to two reasons. Civil Aviation is a seasonal sector. We have high season and low seasons. That was a high season effect. Meanwhile, operation of one of our airlines discontinued. So, that added to the pressure and there was an excess demand…In last 10 days, the fares have gone down by 16-64%.”#WATCH | Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia speaks on the recent airfare rise says, …There was a rise in airfare due to two reasons. Civil Aviation is a seasonal sector. We have high season and low seasons. That was a high season effect. Meanwhile, operation of one… pic.twitter.com/O5LNRiYLFc— ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2023
