FLLET / ORDER - India's IndiGo Airlines firms order for A320neo family jets

IndiGo Airlines (6E, Delhi International) has firmed up an order for another ten A320neo, adding to its already substantial backlog at Airbus. The manufacturer's March 2024 order and delivery update reveals the Indian LCC committed to the ten aircraft on March 15.

In early September 2023, IndiGo's parent entity, InterGlobe Aviation Limited, told India's National Stock Exchange (NSE) that its board had approved the order for the ten aircraft but the purchase contract had yet to be signed. The filing also noted that the aircraft were to be part of a 300-strong order placed back in 2019. That order was for a mix of A320neo and A321neo types including the A321-200NY(XLR).

According to the ch-aviation PRO airlines module, IndiGo Airlines presently operates 368 aircraft, including thirty-two (including 12 wet-leased) A320-200s, 192 A320-200Ns, ninety-four A321-200NX, three A321-200(P2F)s, forty-five ATR72-600s, and two wet-leased B777-300ERs.

Following a firm order for another 500 aircraft in June 2023, IndiGo's orderbook at Airbus totals 941 aircraft and includes one A320-200, 263 A320-200Ns, 384 A321-200Ns, 224 A321-200NX, and sixty-nine A321-200NY(XLR)s. It also has a further five ATR72-600s due from ATR - Avions de Transport Régional.

Speaking at the recent Asia Aviation Festival in Singapore, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said the existing orderbook was "a wonderful asset" and would see the airline average one delivery every week for the next decade. "We have a target to double in size by the end of the decade and that's backed up by our fleet orders," he said. "The demand in India will not slow down. It will continue to keep growing."