IndiGo Places First-Ever Order For Widebody Aircraft With 30 Airbus A350s

Indian budget carrier IndiGo has placed its first-ever order for widebody aircraft, with an order of 30 Airbus A350-900 jets. The move is expected to help expand IndiGo’s international network to long-haul destinations.

Despite having the largest market share in India and a fleet size of 350 aircraft, the low-cost carrier has only been operating narrow-body aircraft on domestic as well as international routes. 

“With the A350 selection, IndiGo is now embarking on further opening the world to India. We will support the airline to take this pioneering and strategic step. A big thank you to the IndiGo team for putting their trust in Airbus once again,” said Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus executive vice president sales, commercial aircraft.

The airline expects the aircraft deliveries to begin in 2027. Apart from the order placed, IndiGo also has purchasing rights for 70 additional Airbus A350 family aircraft, it said in a statement. 

“This order will further shape the future of the airline and for Indian aviation at the same time. 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,” CEO Pieter Elbers said. 

Last year, in June, IndiGo placed the largest-ever single aircraft order by any airline for 500 aircraft with Airbus. With that, the outstanding orderbook of A320 family aircraft stands at almost 1,000 aircraft which are yet to be delivered well into the next decade. This IndiGo order-book comprises a mix of A320NEO, A321NEO and A321XLR aircraft.

In 2023, the airline ferried more than 100 million passengers. The order for the widebody aircraft is in line with IndiGo’s aim to double its capacity over the next seven years. 

The airline has been rapidly expanding its international network by adding new destinations to its own map as well as via codeshare agreements. In an earlier interview with Skift, Elbers said, “Looking at the size of the population, India’s taken its rightful place on the global stage. That’s really helping to further boost international travel, so that’s been a very important cornerstone of our strategy.”