IndiGo set to order 500 jets from Airbus

India's IndiGo is tipped to place a huge order with Airbus on the first day of the 2023 Paris Air Show. According to Bloomberg, the airline is poised to order 500 Airbus A320neo family aircraft tomorrow. This would give Airbus an impressive start to the week after the planemaker didn't clock any major orders at last year's Farnborough Airshow.

The Paris Air Show begins today9June 19), and it is already looking as though it will shape up to be quite the week. If rumors are anything to go by, Airbus is already forecasting a very sunny week despite the severe thunderstorm warnings in place.

 

The order is reportedly worth an impressive $50 billion at list prices (though airlines never end up paying these). According to Airbus's latest orders & deliveries book (issued at the end of May), IndiGo has the following orders and deliveries currently on the books

This means that IndiGo already has an incredible backlog of 477 Airbus A320neo family aircraft. With the addition of a further 500, this would mean that the airline would have almost 1,000 jets on order from the European planemaker. This would be the largest single order for a single aircraft type ever made by an airline.

Will widebodies also be ordered?

69 of IndiGo's outstanding orders are for the Airbus A321XLR, indicating that the airline is looking to fly further with narrowbodies. However, the airline has also begun to dip its toes into the widebody market. IndiGo is currently wet leasing two Boeing 777s from Turkish Airlines, one of which has even been repainted into the IndiGo livery. The carrier is using the jets to fly to Istanbul Airport from Mumbai and Delhi.

IndiGo is also known to be in discussions with both Airbus and Boeing regarding a widebody order for around 25 new aircraft. From Boeing, the 787 Dreamliner is reportedly in the picture, while discussions with Airbus are said to revolve around the Airbus A330. At the recent IATA AGM, the airline's CEO Peter Elbers declined to comment on the rumors.

It is unclear if such an order could materialize this week, though sources suggest that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner may be the frontrunner in this race.

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