IndiGo has outlined its fleet plan through to fiscal 2018, following the launch of its parent company, Interglobe’s, initial public offering on 27 October.
In a prospectus, Interglobe says the airline will operate a fleet of 111 aircraft by next March. The carrier will take a series of deliveries between November 2015 and November 2023, from its 2011 order for 180 Airbus A320neo aircraft.
Between 2018 and 2026, it will also start taking delivery of jets under its 2015 order for 250 A320neos. With these deliveries, IndiGo expects to grow to a fleet of 154 aircraft by 31 March 2018.
The company adds that it received all 100 aircraft under its 2005 order by last November, about two years ahead of schedule. This was due to "advancement of deliveries to meet capacity needs".
“The magnitude of our 2005, 2011 and 2015 aircraft orders helped us to negotiate favorable terms with Airbus and our other aircraft-related suppliers and service providers, which provides us with a structural cost advantage by reducing the overall costs associated with the acquisition, maintenance and operation of our aircraft,” says Interglobe.
In August and September, the airline also entered into lease arrangements for the first nine A320neos, scheduled to be delivered between November 2015 and June 2016. IndiGo typically assigns its purchase rights for aircraft to a third party lessor, and lease the aircraft back thereafter.
It has also extended the operating leases of 27 of its current aircraft, seven of which were scheduled to be returned to lessors this fiscal year. The carrier also plans to take another five used aircraft from various lessors between July this year and March 2016.
Flightglobal’s Fleets Analyzer lists IndiGo as currently operating a fleet of 97 A320s.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
