IndiGo again eyes UK using A321neo(XLR)s

IndiGo Airlines (6E, Delhi Int'l) is mulling broadening its international horizons and operating flights to the UK using the A321-200NY(XLR). The Indian low-cost carrier is due to take the first of the planes in mid-2024. With a range of 4,700 nautical miles (8,700 kilometers), the jet offers IndiGo the chance to significantly expand its international network.

“The XLR is a couple of years down the road. We are working out what is happening with the network. But it is too early to say,” AirInsight reports an IndiGo official saying. Asked about longstanding plans for London Heathrow flights, the official said it was too far out to give a firm answer, adding the airline would need to make a decision about one year out in order to apply for slots there.

IndiGo has a 50% plus domestic market share. However, its international network is now limited to Asia (as far east as Guangzhou, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Singapore Changi), the Gulf region, and as far west as Istanbul New. During a recent earnings call, CEO Rono Dutta also mentioned IATAT!LV, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta, and even Milan Malpensa as other potential destinations currently on IndiGo's radar.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, IndiGo has a fleet of 273 aircraft including twenty-eight A320-200s, one hundred and forty-five A320-200Ns, sixty-five A321-200NXs, and thirty-five ATR72-600s. The airline also has a further 518 narrowbody jets on order from Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) across the A320neo and A321neo families including sixty-nine A321neo(XLR)s and 252 A321neo.

Meanwhile, as an interim step before potentially launching its own flights to the UK, IndiGo announced a new codeshare agreement with Virgin Atlantic (VS, London Heathrow) last week that will see carrier funnel passengers on and off Virgin Atlantic's multiple daily flights into India (2x daily to Delhi Int'l and daily to Mumbai Int'l). The agreement allows IndiGo to book its passengers through to the UK from multiple origin points in India.

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Air Canada bumps A321neo(XLR) order

Air Canada (AC, Montréal Trudeau) has disclosed in its quarterly financial report that it has increased its A321-200NX(XLR) order book by four units to a total of 30.

"We have also advanced our Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals in the quarter by announcing an order for 26 fuel-efficient Airbus A321XLR aircraft, which we have now increased to 30 aircraft. As well, we have recently entered into a long-term agreement with International Aero Engines for the selection of the PW1100G-JM engines, spare engines and related maintenance services for these new aircraft," President and Chief Executive Michael Rousseau said.

The incremental order was signed shortly after the initial commitment - Air Canada ordered the initial batch of twenty-six A321-200NX(XLR)s in late March 2022 comprising six directly from Airbus, fifteen from Air Lease Corporation, and five from AerCap. The incremental four will come directly from the manufacturer. Air Canada revealed it holds a further 15 purchase rights for the type, an increase of one.

Deliveries are expected to begin in the first half of 2024, with the final aircraft to arrive in 2027.

"Our announcement of the acquisition of thirty Airbus A321XLRs is a good example of Rise Higher [strategy] in action, with all four pillars working in a coordinated fashion. The fuel efficiency of these aircraft will reduce operating costs. Their long range opens new market opportunities internationally," Rousseau added during the investor call.

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Saudia to take delivery of first A321neo(XLR)s in 2024

Saudia (SV, Jeddah) will take delivery of its first of fifteen A321-200NX(XLR)s on order from Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) in 2024, chief executive Ibrahim al-Koshy has said.

During a two-day event held at the SAUDIA Club at the airline’s headquarters in Jeddah last month, Koshy said that the entire consignment of longhaul-capable jets would be in place by the end of 2026 and that they would be deployed on regional, European, and Asian routes.

The ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows Saudia also has twenty A321-200Ns on order along with twenty-eight A320-200Ns (which will go to budget carrier flyadeal). It is an existing A321-200 operator with 15 of the type currently in service.

Earlier this year, Saudia raised SAR11.2 billion Saudi riyals (USD3 billion) from several Arab banks to finance its planned acquisition of 70 new aircraft.

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