Budget Indian airline IndiGo has placed an order for 500 passenger jets in the largest-ever single aircraft purchase by any airline with French aerospace giant Airbus.
“The engine selection for this order will be done in due course, and so will be the exact mix of A320 and A321 aircraft,” it said in a statement.
The deal, which took place on the first day of the Paris Air show, comprises a mix of A320NEO, A321NEO and A321XLR aircraft and will provide IndiGo with a further steady stream of deliveries between 2030 and 2035, it said.
“The new order will bring the strategic relationship between IndiGo and Airbus to an unprecedented depth and breadth. With this new order, since its inception in 2006, IndiGo has ordered a massive total of 1,330 aircraft with Airbus,” it said.
This year, IndiGo expects to welcome 100 million customers on board and as such literally give wings to the nation, it noted, adding the airline order will allow it to continue this growth for many years to come.
“An orderbook now of almost 1,000 aircraft well into the next decade enables IndiGo to fulfill its mission to continue to boost economic growth, social cohesion and mobility in India,” said Pieter Elbers, the airline’s chief executive officer. “It is difficult to overstate the significance of IndiGo’s new historic order for 500 Airbus A320 Family aircraft.”
Earlier this year, Air India placed an order for 470 planes from Airbus. (AA)
