Days after Air India ordered 250 aircraft from Airbus, Reuters reported that low-cost carrier IndiGo is negotiating the purchase of «several hundred aircraft» from the European manufacturer, according to statements made yesterday by Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Finance of France, to newspaper Les Echos.
No further details are yet known about the total order numbers or the aircraft models.
According to the French official, the order could be made official during the Paris Air Show, which will take place next June. Its realisation would mean a new boost for India’s airline market, one of the fastest growing in the world.
Growth and competition in the Indian market
Currently, the airline led by Pieter Elbers (CEO of KLM between 2014 and 2022) has a fleet of nearly 300 aircraft, most of them Airbus A320ceo, A320neo and A321neo. It is the largest airline in the Indian market, where it holds a share of close to 60% of total passengers.
Airline activity and competition in India is intensifying. Today, demand for air travel, both domestic and international, is already close to pre-pandemic levels. And projections indicate that the trend will continue for the foreseeable future.
Airbus advantage in India
Air India’s latest major order consolidated the European manufacturer’s dominance in the Asian country over Boeing, its main competitor.
There, IndiGo, GO First, Vistara, Air India and Air Asia India operate nearly half a thousand aircraft produced by Airbus. All of them are A320 family variants. However, the Tata Group airline’s order for A350 aircraft will mark the manufacturer’s re-entry into the widebody segment in the country.
