Domestic carrier IndiGo orders 30 Firm Airbus A350-900 widebody aircraft 

Budget carrier IndiGo has placed an order for 30 Firm A350-900 aircraft that will be powered by Rolls Royce’s Trent XWB engine, the airline said on Thursday. The deal will mark IndiGo, which is the largest carrier of India, entry into the wide-space body aircraft segment.

The deal could be worth more than $9 billion, Reuters reported. The prices, however, are based on the last catalogue rates published in 2018.

Pieter Elbers, the chief executive officer of IndiGo, said, “Fleet of 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft will allow IndiGo to embark on its next phase of becoming one of the leading global aviation players. This reaffirms IndiGo’s belief in, and commitment to, the growth of India, and in our strategic partnership with Airbus.”

The low-cost carrier expects deliveries of the A350s to start from 2027 and said that they would use Rolls Royce's Trent XWB engines.
 
IndiGo also has purchase rights for an additional 70 Airbus A350 family aircraft, it said in a statement.

In the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024, IndiGO maintained a robust market share of approximately 60 percent, despite challenges including the grounding of aircraft. Notably, according to industry data compiled by Jefferies India, the airline experienced a sequential increase in its market share by 40 basis points in March 2024. It is estimated that between 55 and 70 of IndiGO's aircraft were grounded during this period.

IndiGo recently announced that it has partnered with Archer Aviation, a US company, to launch an all-electric air taxi service. This futuristic plan aims to be operational by 2026. The taxi service will cover the distance in less than 7 minites and will charge Rs 2,000-3,000 per passenger. 

In November 2023, InterGlobe Enterprises and Archer Aviation entered into a deal with the goal of partnering to launch and operate an all-electric air taxi service in India. The partnership planned to finance the purchase of up to 200 of Archer’s Midnight aircraft for the India operations.

Archer Aviation will supply 200 eVTOL aircraft, news agency PTI reported on Friday. Similar services will be launched in Mumbai and Bengaluru as well.

The electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft can carry the pilot in addition to four passengers. They are similar to helicopters, however, less noisy and a safer alternative.