For 19 years, IndiGo built an exemplary, no-frills operation, carrying passengers across the length and breadth of India with the A320/neo, the A321neo and the ATR aircraft. The airline also established a sizable regional operation spanning India, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and the SAARC nations.
IndiGo prepares for the next step in world domination.
As one of the world’s most valuable airlines (in terms of market cap) and India’s largest airline (in terms of market share), IndiGo has been open to the idea of inducting widebody aircraft for building bridges between India and transatlantic stations such as the US and Australia. The airline already has the XLR on order to connect India with Europe and Far East Asia. Last year, it ordered 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft as well, and has now ordered 6 (and inducted one already), Boeing 787-9 aircraft to launch its widebody services to key markets earlier than 2027.
In 2023, IndiGo launched a project to assess the viability of International operations, putting up the Boeing 787 against the Airbus A330neo in a contest while taking the 777-300ER on wet lease to start building experience with widebody revenue management and so on. Many airshows came and went but we did not hear from IndiGo about the order. Then, the A350 entered the room. Remember, one of the key reasons for bringing on Pieter Elbers as the CEO was to shape the next phase of IndiGo’s growth story, which was international expansion.
IndiGo signs on for another 30 A350-900s
Today, IndiGo announced a firm order for 30 A350-900 aircraft, which are really confirmations of some of the options that it took when Airbus and IndiGo signed on for the first order last year. The configuration of these aircraft is yet to be decided. IndiGo has also retained the purchase rights for another 40 aircraft. As the sole supplier of engines, Rolls-Royce will power the fleet with the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. IndiGo expects to start inducting the A350 aircraft into the fleet from 2027 onwards. The airline used the IATA AGM 2025 in Delhi, of which it is the host airline for this year, for the announcement.
Airbus X IndiGo at IATA AGM 2025
All of these aircraft will help IndiGo open up long—and ultra-long-haul route pairs such as those to North America and South America, as confirmed by Ed Bastian of Delta in another media briefing today. Another 40 options are also attractive because they signal that IndiGo is open to not keeping this a niche operation.
Bottomline
IndiGo has made a second firm order for 30 A350-900 aircraft, which brings the total number of widebody aircraft on order to 60, along with purchase rights to another 40. The airline has yet to decide how it wants to configure the aircraft. But it expects to have the aircraft enter its fleet in 2027. These aircraft will replace the 787-9 aircraft on wet lease with the airline in the coming days, but will also be used for long-haul operations to the US, eventually.
What do you think of long-haul operations at IndiGo with the A350-900?
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There is virtually unlimited demand from North America to India that is not being met, and a huge opportunity for IndiGo.