IndiGo inks the biggest-ever commercial aircraft order

Low-cost Indian airline IndiGo has ordered 500 Airbus narrowbody aircraft. The order is the largest in the history of commercial aviation, Airbus says. 

“It is difficult to overstate the significance of IndiGo’s new historic order for 500 Airbus A320 family aircraft,” IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said. The carrier, which is the largest in the Indian domestic market, inked the deal on Monday at the Paris Air Show. 

“An order book now of almost 1,000 aircraft well into the next decade, enables IndiGo to fulfill its mission to continue to boost economic growth, social cohesion and mobility in India,” Elbers added.

Indian aviation market’s sharp growth

The enormous order speaks to the bullish expectations for growth in the Indian aviation market. Airbus forecasts that Indian passenger traffic will grow by 6.2% annually over the next two decades, well above the global average of 3.9%. Indian airlines will need to take 2,210 aircraft during that time, according to the forecast. 

India already has the third-largest domestic airline market in the world, behind the U.S. and China, having recorded more than 120 million domestic passengers last year. The IATA expects that number to rise above 400 million by 2040. 

IndiGo now has 1,330 Airbus planes on order and has become the world’s biggest customer of A320-family aircraft.

Source: Read Full Article