After weeks of speculation, IndiGo has confirmed a firm order for 500 Airbus A320neo family jets. The deal is the first of others that the Indian low-cost airline promises to reveal soon, according to its CEO, Pieter Elbers.
The carrier said it has not defined which models it will choose, between the A320neo, the A321neo and the A321XLR.
IndiGo entered into its first procurement contract with Airbus in 2005 and has since operated 264 single-aisle aircraft in addition to 39 ATR turboprops. There are still almost 500 orders pending delivery.
The plan is to receive all these planes by 2035, but Elbers declined to say how much of that total will replace planes currently in use.
The new order is a kind of response to the orders closed by Air India at the beginning of the year, which totaled 470 units, including aircraft from Airbus and Boeing.
Taken over by the Tata group, Air India lost ground to new carriers such as IndiGo itself. The answer came through the merger with Vistara and the partnership with Singapore Airlines.
IndiGo should announce very soon an order for widebody jets to operate in the long-haul market.
