India's IndiGo orders 30 long-range Airbus A350 jets

India's largest airline, IndiGo, is set to diversify its fleet with the acquisition of 30 A350 long-range jets from Airbus, marking its debut order for wide-body passenger planes.

"Airbus confirms that IndiGo, India's largest airline, has agreed to place an order for 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft," stated the European aircraft manufacturer, heralding "an exciting new chapter in our close partnership with IndiGo."

The deal, valued at $9.5 billion (£7.6 billion) at list prices and slated for signing in the upcoming days, will also grant the Indian low-cost carrier, holding the country's biggest market share, an option to purchase an additional 70 planes from the A350 series.

Commencing deliveries from 2027, IndiGo aims to establish itself as a significant contender in the long-haul market, having served 100 million passengers primarily on domestic routes last year.

Benoit de Saint-Exupery, Airbus's executive vice president for commercial sales, remarked, "This is an exciting new chapter in our close partnership with IndiGo," affirming the company's commitment to expanding its global reach.

The agreement follows Airbus and IndiGo's record-breaking order at last year's Paris Air Show, where they inked a deal for 500 aircraft from the A320neo family, the largest civil aviation order ever for single-aisle planes.

Pieter Elbers, IndiGo's general director, emphasized that this deal signifies "the next phase of its transformation into one of the major players in global aviation."

IndiGo has already committed to nearly 1,000 aircraft from Airbus's A320 family, positioning itself as a dominant player in the airline industry.

The A350, introduced by Airbus nearly a decade ago, offers two variants, the 900 and the larger 1000, catering to varying passenger capacities and flight distances.

As of March, Airbus has secured 71 orders for the A350 since the beginning of the year, maintaining its status as a top-selling aircraft with over 1,200 units sold to date.

(AFP)