By Will Lee
Indian Airlines Steal the Shows in Paris with Mega Deals
Indian airlines became the center of attention at the Paris Air Show after two Indian carriers had signed mega deals with two aircraft manufacturers.
Indigo has inked a historic deal with Airbus for 500 A320 family aircraft. After being rumored for several weeks, the new aircraft are expected to be delivered between 2030 and 2035 and the contract is worth roughly $55 billion.
“An order book now of almost 1,000 aircraft well into the next decade, enables Indigo to fulfil its mission to continue to boost economic growth, social cohesion and mobility in India,” Pieter Elbers, CEO of Indigo said in a press release
“This landmark order marks a new chapter in Airbus and Indigo’s relationship that is democratising affordable air travel for millions of people in the world’s fastest growing aviation market,” Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Official and Head of International at Airbus, said.
The low-cost carrier has a long history of partnering with Airbus. Back in 2005, Indigo inked its first order of 100 A320. In 2011, the carrier placed an order for 180 A320 including the NEO. In 2015, the carrier finalized a 250 A320neo family order. In 2019, the airline acquired 300 A320neos.
Meanwhile, Air India has finalized deals with Boeing and Airbus. The flag carrier will acquire 220 aircraft from Boeing, including 190 737 MAXs, 20 787 Dreamliners and 10 777X jets. In addition, the flag carrier has the option for an additional 50 737 MAX and 20 787 Dreamliners. Also, Air India has firmed up its order for 250 Airbus jets, including 140 A320neos, 70 A321neos, six A350-900s and 34 A350-1000s.
Indian aviation is best known for its upward spiral in recent years as the country is set to become the most populous nation. India is estimated under 5% of its citizens have ever taken a flight as there is plenty of room for growth.
India is expected to be an excellent potential for increasing sales in the future. Willie Walsh, the Director General of IATA, mentioned India is a fantastic and developing market, and the economy has continued to perform very strongly. The government expects that Indian airlines could add 2,000 aircraft in the next five to seven years.
According to Boeing’s projection through 2042, South Asia’s fleet will be at the fastest pace of growth with more than 7% every year, with India accounting for more than 90% of the region’s passenger traffic.
Meanwhile, Akasa Air has gotten into gear, looking forward to operating international routes by the end of the year. The start-up budget carrier is forecasting an order for narrow-body aircraft this year to meet the travel boom.
Airlines around the world struggled to stay afloat during the pandemic in the past three years. However, mega aircraft orders of over 100 aircraft have occasionally happened.
| Year | Airline | Quantity | Aircraft |
| 2020 | Spirit Airlines | 100 | Airbus A320s |
| 2021 | United Airlines | 270 | Boeing and Airbus |
| 2021 | Southwest Airlines | 100 | Boeing 737 MAXs |
| 2021 | Wizz Air | 102 | Airbus A321s |
| 2022 | Delta Air Lines | 100 | Boeing 737 MAX 10s |
| 2022 | China Eastern Airlines | 100 | Airbus A320neos |
| 2023 | Ryanair | 150 | Boeing 737 MAXs |
| 2023 | Air India | 470 | Boeing and Airbus |
| 2023 | Indigo | 500 | Airbus |
