IndiGo expansion plans: Airline may confirm order for 40 more A350 planes; here’s what an Airbus official says

IndiGo is likely to convert its purchase rights for 40 Airbus A350 aircraft into a confirmed order, according to a senior executive at the European aerospace giant. If finalised, this would take the airline’s total firm A350 orders to 100.“They actually will order more aircraft… because they believe they will need those aircraft. And so, the (Indian) market is such that it’s easy to appreciate that there is a need for much more advanced aircraft,” said Benoit de Saint-Exupery, executive vice-president of sales at Airbus, according to ET. While no official timeline has been shared, the move is seen as a natural progression after IndiGo converted 30 A350-900 purchase options into firm orders last month.India’s largest airline had initially placed a firm order for 30 A350-900 jets in 2024, with deliveries set to begin in mid-2027. The A350-900, a long-range widebody aircraft, is commonly used on intercontinental routes and can fly between 15–18 hours non-stop. It remains unclear whether IndiGo’s future orders will include the larger A350-1000 variant, currently ordered only by Air India among Indian carriers.IndiGo’s possible order expansion comes as the airline continues to deepen its global footprint. As per PTI, IndiGo has recently launched direct flights from Mumbai to Manchester and Amsterdam and plans to add 10 more overseas destinations by March 2026, including London, Athens, and Copenhagen. The carrier, which operates a fleet of over 400 aircraft, aims to position itself as a “fit-for-purpose airline” for long-haul operations, CEO Pieter Elbers said during a recent interaction with PTI.To support its growing international ambitions in the near term, IndiGo is currently operating wide-body Boeing 787-9 aircraft on lease from Norse Atlantic Airways. It expects to induct additional leased widebodies later this year while also preparing for the arrival of A321XLR narrow-body long-range aircraft by late 2025 or early 2026.IndiGo’s current confirmed order book stands at around 1,400 aircraft, including a landmark order for 500 Airbus A320-family planes placed in June 2023, the largest-ever single order by any airline. Of these, over 455 planes have already been delivered.As per ET, the A350-900 is listed at $308.1 million and the A350-1000 at $355.7 million, though actual contract prices are typically negotiated and undisclosed. Airbus, which has delivered 648 A350s out of 1,391 orders as of May 31, sees strong growth potential in India, not just for large aircraft but also for regional models like the A220.Airbus India & South Asia President Remi Maillard was quoted by ET as saying that India’s strategic location and economic growth made it the fastest-growing market across several aerospace segments. “Defence, space, helicopters, commercial aviation, and the services related to all these… India is the fastest growing market,” he said.Airbus currently sources $1.4 billion worth of parts from India annually and aims to raise that by $600 million “well before the end of this decade,” Maillard added.