IndiGo shows it’s in for long haul, orders 30 A350s

India’s largest airline IndiGo has placed an order for 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft as part of its attempt to transform from a short-haul airline into a company that dominates long haul travel in the region.

The airline also has purchase rights for another 70 planes, the delivery of which will begin from 2027. At list price, the order is worth $ 12 billion, but airlines enjoy heavy discounts on bulk orders.

“Today’s historic moment marks a new chapter for IndiGo and will further shape the future of the airline and for Indian aviation at the same time. 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft will allow IndiGo to embark on its next phase of becoming one of the leading global aviation players,” Pieter Elbers, chief executive of IndiGo, said in a statement Thursday.


IndiGo’s first wide body order pitches the airline into a direct competition with Air India which has 70 wide body aircraft on order from both Airbus and Boeing and competitors from the Gulf like Emirates and Qatar Airways.

The A350-900 aircraft can fly for 16–17 hours which will allow the airline to operate on North American routes.

While the airline hasn’t announced if there will be business class on the wide body aircraft, it has started working to change from a single class, no-frills carrier to have a premium class on its A320 aircraft, which flies on short haul routes. These include roomier seats and perks like hot food and a loyalty program as it looks to court more business flyers.

The no-frills model to pack more passengers into dense cabins and charging extra for food, priority boarding and seat allocation has served IndiGo well, helping it to grab 60% share of India’s domestic market, and stay profitable where airlines struggle to increase price of tickets. Since 2012, three Indian carriers have gone bankrupt failing to keep costs in tandem with revenue.

But IndiGo’s top layer is now convinced that with a firm leadership position in India’s domestic market, the airline should now leverage this position to become a leader in the international market.

Elbers, who joined the airline in 2021 from Air France-KLM, has initiated a rapid foray into international routes. The airline has also named Greg Sarestky who led Canadian airline WestJet’s transformation from a low cost to a hybrid airline, as one of its directors.

“This is the right time for Indian carriers to seek a larger share of the long and ultra-long haul markets. This will bring greater competition to key international markets and stimulate traffic,” aviation consultancy firm CAPA said.

Indian carriers tend to generate 80% of their passengers from India, and 20% from overseas, which needs to be rebalanced, it said, adding that they expect IndiGo to become a key player in the long and ultra-long haul segments.

The foray into the long haul segment comes after years of deliberation which first started in 2018. Other than the A350-900, the airline had examined the A330 aircraft from Airbus and 787 Dreamliner from Boeing.

Sources said that IndiGo opted for the A350 as the aircraft has commonality with its existing fleet of Airbus A320 & 321 planes.

A common design of the cockpit allows the airline to upgrade its existing pool of pilots with short training periods and to have the qualification to fly both aircraft types at the same time. The same is true for engineers as IndiGo can have their mechanics undergo a shortened training period to become eligible to work on the A350 aircraft.

Indigo’s new aircraft will be powered by the Trent XWB engine of British aerospace company Rolls Royce. “India is an important market for Rolls-Royce. The future promises to be exciting, with significant infrastructure developments and further growth expected in air travel,” said Ewen McDonald, chief customer officer, Rolls-Royce.