Indian low-cost IndiGo orders an avalanche of A350s: why now Emirates and Qatar are also trembling
Numerically, it does not make as much of a splash as the order placed in June 2023 at the Paris Air Show for 500 A320 family aircraft [...]
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Numerically, it does not make as much of a splash as the order placed in June 2023 at the Paris Air Show for 500 A320 family aircraft (the largest single order, by number of aircraft, in commercial aviation history). But the 30 Airbus A350-900s (plus 70 options) purchased by Indigo itself mark a step change in the Indian low-cost giant's strategy, with entry into the long-haul market with wide-body aircraft.
That the country's largest airline (by fleet and share of the domestic market, where it has about 60%) intended to go beyond its domestic and regional network was clear from that very mega order placed a few months ago with Airbus, which included the A321LR and -XLR. That is, aircraft equipped with enough range to reach from India to Europe and some South East-Asian areas.
The A350s, from this point of view, mark a double change of pace: first, they will allow IndiGo to To reach non-stop not only Europe, but also North America and Australia, where a very large community of Indian expats live; and then for passenger capacity.
If in fact with A321s we are around 200 passengers, With the A350 IndiGo will probably be able to carry around 400 passengers, considering the high-density seat configurations it will most likely decide to install on board aircraft, placing itself in this respect in the groove traced by Malaysia's Air Asia X and Scoot, the low-cost Singapore Airlines.
Currently, Indigo does not directly operate any wide-body aircraft, although Has been using wet-lease from Turkish Airlines for a few months now 2 Boeing 777-300ERs connecting Mumbai and Delhi with Istanbul. And to get an idea of how IndiGo will 'stuff' its future A350s with seats, just consider. the two 777s have a stratospheric 531 seats on board (A380 stuff), 524 of them in Economy and 7 in Business.
Delivery of the first A350 will take place in 2027 And it can't help but be of interest to Air India, which, too, after its acquisition by the Tata Group, has put its hand to its fleet and in-flight product, In turn, ordering 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing and installing all new cabins on incoming planes.
A few days ago, India's flag carrier announced that the international debut of its Airbus A350s will take place on the Delhi-Dubai route. Now, it is clear that Air India is a premium airline, especially thanks to new aircraft and interiors, while IndiGo is a low-cost. But it is clear that, especially if the latter were to turn even some of those 70 options for more A350s into actual orders, Would become a formidable competitor to Air India, at least for that whole segment of travelers who aim to fly while spending as little as possible, which in a country like India and in the context of the Indian diaspora around the world, is huge.
But the impact of dozens and dozens of A350s in IndiGo livery would also be there for the two Gulf 'biggies' Emirates and Qatar Airways, for which India is now the largest foreign market and that They carry millions of Indian passengers each year who move between their home country, Europe and North America (and vice versa).
Founded in 2006 and led by former KLM CEO Peter Elbers, Indigo now boasts a fleet of 369 airplanes, making it India's largest company and one of the largest on the entire Asian continent. Of those 369 aircraft, 45 are 78-seat ATR72 turboprops, 33 are 180-seat Airbus A320s, 198 are Airbus A320neo (the world's largest fleet of A320neo) 186-seat, 94 A321neo (again, the world's largest fleet of this type of aircraft). of 222 or 232 seats, 3 A321-200 freighters and 2 Boeing 777-300ERs. (Photo BriYYZ, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org)
The order arrived from the Indian low-cost represents Yet another Airbus victory over Boeing. and confirms the success that the A350 (also aided by Boeing's and the 787's 'misfortunes') is enjoying among airlines these days, as it arrives a short distance from those placed by Japan Airlines (21), Korean Air (33), EVA Air (18) and Delta (20 A350-1000s).
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