We were all expecting some pretty big news to come out of the Paris air show, but I don’t think many expected it to be just this big. Indian LCC (Low Cost Carrier) Indigo has placed the single largest aircraft order in civil aviation history. Let’s take a closer look at the details of this historical agreement between Indigo and Airbus.
The Indigo Airbus Aircraft Sale Agreement
As is the case for the vast majority of LCC Indigo (6E IATA Code) operates a 1 aircraft type fleet. The Indian carrier operates a fleet made up of only Airbus A320 family planes. As I explained in this other post, this helps maximise profits by streamlining as much as possibile all flight and training operations.
The plan for Indigo is to stick to this philosophy for many years to come. The airline has in fact placed the single largest order in aviation history with aircraft manufacturer Airbus. 500 Airbus A320neo were ordered by the Indian low cost airline. This order even makes the massive Air India Boeing order seem small. That order was for 290 planes all together.
This latest agreement brings the total planes on order for Indigo with Airbus to mind blowing levels. Almost 1000 planes will be delivered to just this airline in the next decade.
Why Were So Many Planes Ordered?
Aviation and air travel is rapidly growing in India. With the economy steadily growing and developing year after year air travel demand will inevitably be on the rise. Therefore to satisfy this huge thirst for air travel airlines will need to have an incredible number of planes available. Also the low cost market is quite developed and aggressively catering to the needs of the domestic market. Indigo being the largest of the LCC in India is putting out there a statement with this order that they intend to remain the top dog for quite some time.
Indigo’s Current Fleet
6E is, as things stand right now, one of the largest operators of the A320 aircraft family. Clearly with the latest order this status will only be further confirmed. However, as of June 2023, the airline operates a total of 275 planes, of which:
| Manufacturer | Type | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
 Airbus | A320neo | 133 |
| Airbus | A320-200 | 24 |
| Airbus | A321neo | 75 |
| Airbus | A321-200 | 2 |
 ATR | ATR-72 | 39 |
