This time it’s the mega jackpot. On the first day of Bourget air show, Airbus simply announces the “largest single purchase agreement in the history of commercial aviation”. This is the firm order placed by the Indian company Indigo of 500 A320 Family aircraft. It represents, according to AFP calculations, the astronomical sum of 55 billion dollars at the list price.
In fact, another Indian company, Air India, was behind the previous largest order of civilian aircraft in history, 470 units last February, but broken down between 250 to Airbus and 220 to its American competitor Boeing. .
IndiGo, a low-cost carrier headquartered in New Delhi, is India’s largest carrier and the fastest growing in the world. It already operates 264 A320s and has ordered a total of 830 aircraft from this family from the European manufacturer, using it as a spearhead for the “democratization of air transport” in the peninsula over the past decade.
The A320, this hero
“This historic order marks a new chapter in the relationship between Airbus and IndiGo that democratizes affordable air travel for millions of people in the world’s fastest growing aviation market. It is also a resounding endorsement of the improved operating economics of the A320 Family that have fueled IndiGo’s growth for nearly two decades,” said Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer, of the historic signing. from Airbus.
“At IndiGo, we are proud to be India’s preferred airline for connectivity in and with India; and in doing so, to be one of the leading airlines in the world. This order strongly reaffirms IndiGo’s confidence in India’s growth, in the A320 Family and in our strategic partnership with Airbus,” said Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo.
The A320 and the A320neo – its less fuel-intensive version, equipped with “shark fins” – have 8,700 orders from 130 different companies.