Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo has firmed up its order for 180 Airbus A320s, including 150 A320neos, following a memorandum of understanding signed in January.
The order comprises 150 A320neos and 30 A320s, for delivery from 2015 to 2024. Airbus chief operating officer John Leahy puts the order's worth at $16.2 billion, calling it the "largest aircraft transaction" ever.
IndiGo has previously said it has chosen Pratt & Whitney's PW1100G geared turbofan engine to power the A320neos.
The airline will acquire the aircraft through a mix of operating and financial leases, said its president Aditya Ghosh. IndiGo will take 10 to 12 aircraft a year and use the new orders to expand its network. It will begin international services from September with flights to Dubai, Singapore and Bangkok. Ghosh said the airline will also launch flights to Muscat and Kathmandu in the fourth quarter.
Deliveries from the airline's previous 100 aircraft A320 order will end in 2015, said Ghosh. "So it perfectly dovetails with the new order's deliveries beginning that year," he said.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
