Indian carriers may order 380 more planes by March next yr: Capa India

Indian carriers, which currently have an order book of 1,618 planes, could end up ordering about 380 more aircraft by March next year.

The additional aircraft will cater to the high air traffic demand domestically and internationally, aviation consultancy firm CAPA India said on Friday.

The new orders are going to come from Air India converting some of its 370 options to a firm order for every few months, supplemented by possible further orders by other Indian carriers, it said.

When Air India had placed an order for 470 planes in February last year with Airbus and Boeing, the Tata-run airline had an option to order 370 more aircraft.

“Indian airlines currently have an order book of close to 1,620 aircraft (after Thursday's Akasa air order, but excluding Go First and SpiceJet orders). This is expected to rise to about 2,000 aircraft by March 2025,” it added.

The figure of 1,618 aircraft does not include Go First because of "uncertainty", it said. Go First went insolvent in May last year.

SpiceJet, which recently raised money from more than 60 investors, has been facing financial troubles for the last several quarters.

CAPA India said that in 2023, Indian airlines ordered more aircraft than those from any other country. “And, the total order book for Western aircraft is second only to the United States,” he added.