After closing the largest unit order for commercial jets in history and ordering its first widebodies weeks ago, Indian low-cost IndiGo now intends to close a deal for at least 100 regional aircraft.
The plans were revealed by the Economic Times citing sources. IndiGo is reportedly in talks with ATR, Airbus and Embraer, but the turboprop manufacturer poses as a sure deal as the carrier has 45 ATR 72s in service.
According to the Economic Times, the Airbus A220 and Embraer E175 are also being considered.
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IndiGo placed an order for 50 ATRs in 2017, marking its debut in the Indian regional market. The network has supported the airline’s domestic operations, which accounts for 60% of domestic passenger traffic.
There is, however, a huge gap between the ATR 72, with 78 seats, and the Airbus A320, with 180 seats.
Traditional Airbus customer
Since it began operations in 2006, IndiGo has been a loyal Airbus customer, currently having 325 A320 family jets, in addition to hundreds of aircraft on order.
IndiGo also operates two Boeing 777s on a short-term lease with Turkish Airlines, but in April chose the rival A350 to establish its new long-range flight network.
Therefore, the A220 sounds like the most likely aircraft to be chosen if IndiGo intends to have a smaller capacity jet than the A320.
Embraer, in turn, has the E190-E2 and E195-E2 as candidates capable of offering greater capacity than the ATR, but the E175, which carries around 80 passengers, could be an alternative for longer regional flights .
IndiGo’s regional network has grown to the point where it currently serves 60 locations. However, some destinations ended up seeing a growing demand that allowed the introduction of Airbus jets.
