IndiGo orders another 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft

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 its global expansion.

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 three already), Boeing 787-9 aircraft to launch its widebody services to key markets earlier than 2027.

In 2023, IndiGo initiated a project to evaluate the feasibility of its long-haul international operations by pitting the Boeing 787 against the Airbus A330neo in a comparative analysis. Additionally, the airline took the 777-300ER on a wet lease to gain hands-on experience with wide-body revenue management. 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

In June 2025, IndiGo announced a firm order for 30 A350-900 aircraft, confirming some of the options it had considered when Airbus and IndiGo signed their first order last year. 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 was the host airline for the year, for the announcement and the Memorandum of Understanding to be signed.

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 expanding beyond its niche operation.

Today, IndiGo culminated the MoU into a firm order. It signed a contract with Airbus today, confirming the conversion of 30 out of its 70 purchase rights of Airbus A350-900 aircraft into firm orders. With this, IndiGo doubles its wide-body order from 30 to 60 Airbus A350-900 aircraft. After converting 30 purchase rights into firm orders now, IndiGo is left with purchase rights for 40 more wide-body airliners.

Pieter Elbers, CEO, IndiGo, said,

Today is a special day for IndiGo as we solidify our commitment to expanding our international footprint and offering unparalleled connectivity to our customers. The conversion of this MoU into a firm order for 30 additional A350-900s is a testament to our confidence in the future of Indian aviation and our strategic partnership with Airbus, further reinforced by the strong start of our long-haul operations. In line with India’s vision of becoming a global aviation hub and our aspiration to establish ourselves as a leading global aviation player by 2030, IndiGo is taking decisive steps forward. These aircraft, as they join our fleet in the years to come, will play a pivotal role in enabling IndiGo expand its reach, connect India with more destinations across the globe, and offer our customers new international travel opportunities.

Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, EVP Sales of the Commercial Aircraft business at Airbus, said this,

The A350’s unparalleled fuel efficiency, range and passenger comfort perfectly align with IndiGo’s ambitious growth plans and international long-haul network ambitions. This milestone reinforces our strong partnership with one of the fastest-growing airlines in the world, and we look forward to supporting their expansion into new long-haul markets.

The A350-900 aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce’s Trent XWB-84 engines, a bunch of which were already ordered in 2024 for the first order of 30 aeroplanes, and is the one that was developed for the A350-900.

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 plane 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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