NEW DELHI: IndiGo has placed a firm order for 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft as the country’s largest airline is all set to enter the long-haul market (to and from India) which is currently dominated by global airlines such as Emirates and Qatar Airways. Among the Indian carriers, only Tata Group airlines (Air India and Vistara) operates long-haul flights from India.
IndiGo said on Thursday this order will allow them to connect various Indian cities to the world as A350s have the range to fly non-stop to destinations such as western Europe, Australia and possibly the US.
IndiGo currently, has a fleet of narrow-body aircraft. It will become the second airline in the country, after Air India, to induct the A350 craft. The exact configuration of IndiGo’s Airbus A350 will be decided at a later stage, and the deliveries are expected to start in 2027. In addition to the 30-plane order, IndiGo has purchased rights for an additional 70 Airbus A350 family aircraft, at its discretion, for possible future needs under certain conditions.
“For IndiGo, after pioneering the Indian skies with an unprecedented journey, its fleet of 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft will allow IndiGo to embark on its next phase of becoming one of the leading global aviation players,” said Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo. The Gurugram-based airline was earlier reported to be in talks with Boeing to induct wide-body planes. Owing to troubles at Boeing, the discussions could not materialise and IndiGo decided to extend its partnership with Airbus.
IndiGo’s A350 aircraft will be powered by Rolls Royce’s Trent XWB engine. Ewen McDonald, chief customer officer, Rolls-Royce plc, said, “This substantial order from IndiGo for our Trent XWB-84 engines is a great win for Rolls-Royce…India is an important market for Rolls-Royce. Future promises to be exciting, with major infrastructure developments and further growth expected in air travel.”