IndiGo signs contract to buy additional 30 A350 widebody planes from Airbus

IndiGo on Friday signed a contract with Airbus to order 30 additional A350-900 widebody aircraft, aiming to expand its long-haul network over the next decade. With this, IndiGo has doubled its widebody order from 30 to 60 A350-900 planes.

 

India’s largest carrier and the European aircraft manufacturer had, in June this year, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for these additional 30 planes. This MoU was converted into a firm order on Friday.

 

IndiGo had in April 2024 placed its first widebody aircraft order, comprising 30 Airbus A350-900s. At the time, the airline also retained purchase rights for an additional 70 aircraft from the Airbus A350 family to meet future requirements. With 30 of those purchase rights now converted into firm orders, IndiGo still holds purchase rights for 40 more widebody aircraft.

   

All A350-900 aircraft in IndiGo’s fleet will be powered by Rolls-Royce’s Trent XWB engines, the airline announced on Friday.

 

Pieter Elbers, chief executive officer (CEO), IndiGo, stated that the firm order for an additional 30 widebody planes solidifies the airline’s commitment to expanding its international footprint.

 

“In line with India’s vision of becoming a global aviation hub and our aspiration to establish ourselves as a leading global aviation player by 2030, IndiGo is taking decisive steps forward,” he said.

 

Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, executive vice-president, sales, Commercial Aircraft business at Airbus, stated that the A350 aircraft’s “unparalleled fuel efficiency, range, and passenger comfort” perfectly align with IndiGo’s “ambitious” growth plans and international long-haul network ambitions.

 

Friday’s order of 30 A350 planes takes IndiGo’s total order book with Airbus to 1,400 aircraft, the majority of which are narrowbody planes from the A320 family.

 

Airbus will start delivering A350-900 planes to IndiGo between 2027 and the early part of the next decade. The next batch of 30 A350-900 planes will be delivered from the early part of the next decade to the latter half of it.

 

Widebody aircraft have larger fuel tanks and engines compared to narrowbody aircraft, enabling them to travel longer distances. The A350-900 aircraft has a range of about 15,000 kilometres. This capability will allow IndiGo to operate non-stop flights on long-haul and ultra-long-haul routes such as India–US, India–Australia, and India–Europe. It also positions IndiGo to directly compete with Air India and other foreign carriers such as Emirates and Qatar Airways on these lucrative routes.

 

IndiGo currently has about 410 planes, of which only five are widebody aircraft — two B777s leased from Turkish Airlines and three B787s leased from Norse Atlantic.

 

IndiGo has recently changed its business model. The airline last year ordered widebody planes for the first time. It also introduced business class on its flights. By the end of this year, the airline will have 45 planes with business-class cabins. The carrier also launched a frequent flyer programme — something previously limited to full-service carriers — last year.

 

Elbers had in May announced that in 2025–26, the airline will start international flights to 10 new destinations, including Manchester, Amsterdam, and London, using its recently leased B787 widebody planes and A321XLRs, which are expected to join its fleet during the latter part of the financial year.

 

To meet the growing demand in the country’s air travel market, Indian carriers have made several significant aircraft orders since 2023. In February 2023, the Tata-run Air India Group placed an order for 470 planes — 250 with Airbus and 220 with American planemaker Boeing. In June 2023, IndiGo made the world’s largest aircraft order by signing a deal for 500 A320neo family planes from Airbus. In January 2024, the new airline Akasa Air placed an order for 150 B737 MAX aircraft with Boeing. In April 2024, IndiGo ordered 30 A350 planes from Airbus. In December 2024, Air India ordered 10 A350 planes and 90 A320 family planes from Airbus.