One of the most interesting turns of events that is happening in the world of aviation is the wheels that are turning at IndiGo. A few years ago, it would have been nigh impossible to think of IndiGo being interested in widebody aircraft. But after hitting a 300+ number of narrow-body aircraft in their fleet and many more on order, IndiGo is now starting to investigate widebody operations.
IndiGo’s widebody ambitions
The first step into IndiGo’s widebody ambitions is the damp-leased aircraft from Turkish Airlines. IndiGo already started operations between Delhi and Istanbul with one such aircraft, and is now getting ready to have one in their livery from Turkish, soon.
The second step, as we wrote in March 2023, is getting their own wide bodies which will be registered on the Indian register of aircraft. At the time, per Reuters, there was an active comparison going on for the Airbus 330neo vs the Boeing 787. Now, per further reporting from Mint, it seems an order for 15-20 such jets might be incoming within the year.
As per Mint, IndiGo has been in discussion both with Boeing and Airbus for a year, to buy up to 20 widebody aircraft. This could be plain opportunism with some widebody aircraft lying around that they might be looking to scoop up on the cheap, or…they might be in the market to figure out the best aircraft for their missions and pick it up.
Bottomline
IndiGo seems to have decided to put its (biggest) foot forward on its international ambitions, with the thinking of the airline evolving to include widebody aircraft in its fleet in the future. They already must have started seeing the data with their damp lease from Turkish Airlines, and over time should be able to perfect their revenue models as well to figure out how to price their international itineraries to be competitively priced, but also profitable for the airline. It is expected that IndiGo will order up to 20 widebody aircraft this year, which could be either from Boeing or Airbus stable.
What do you think about IndiGo’s widebody ambitions, and which OEM will they eventually order with, if they will?
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