IndiGo doubles its widebody ambitions; confirms 30 more Airbus A350s
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The total number of confirmed widebody aircraft in its fleet pipeline goes up to 60, announced Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, on the sidelines of IATA's Annual General Meeting currently being held in Delhi. To formalise the expanded order, the airline signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus on the sidelines of the event yesterday.
In a landmark, IndiGo announced its decision to convert 30 additional Airbus A350-900 into firm orders, taking the total number of confirmed widebody aircraft in its fleet pipeline to 60. The announcement was made by Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, on the sidelines of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting currently being held in Delhi.
This step comes less than a year after the airline first shook the aviation market in April 2024 by placing its first-ever widebody aircraft order, comprising 30 Airbus A350-900s with purchase rights for 70 more. Deliveries from the original order are expected to commence in 2027, aligning with IndiGo’s long-term network expansion strategy.
As the largest airline in India by market share (almost 65 %) and fleet size, IndiGo’s aggressive widebody expansion is expected to redefine the landscape of long-haul travel from the subcontinent, offering Indian travellers more non-stop connectivity options and enhancing the country’s positioning in international aviation corridors.
“We recently began our widebody operations and are extremely excited about the progress. We can’t wait for Airbus to deliver the A350s. We felt this was the perfect occasion—with the world aviation community gathered in Delhi—to announce our intent to double our firm orders from 30 to 60,” said Elbers.
With Delhi and IndiGo playing host to this year’s IATA AGM, the timing and location of the announcement were symbolic of India’s rising influence in the aviation world, which also stands as world’s third largest aviation market today.
MoU signed with Airbus
To formalise the expanded order, the airline signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus on the sidelines of the event yesterday.
“Eighteen years is a remarkable milestone in aviation, and we at Airbus are proud to have been IndiGo’s partner since day one. It’s incredible to see how far the airline has come—from starting with the A320 to now having ordered over 1,400 aircraft from us, including the 30 additional A350s announced today. IndiGo has truly democratised air travel in India, and we’re excited to support this next chapter as the airline expands into long-haul operations with the A350 and the XLR. We look forward to continuing this journey together for decades to come,” said the Airbus spokesperson, Benoît de Saint-Exupéry.
In March 2025, IndiGo began preparing for its long-haul operations with the introduction of six temporarily leased wide body aircraft, deliveries of which will be concluded by 2026. Notably, the Airbus A350s are set to play a pivotal role in IndiGo's transformation from a primarily domestic and regional carrier into a globally competitive long-haul airline, emphasised Elbers.
IndiGo’s Airbus A350-900 aircraft will be powered by Rolls Royce’s Trent XWB engine. The mission capability of this aircraft, coupled with the efficiency of the Trent XWB engine, will offer IndiGo optionality to address the rapidly evolving needs of the Indian market.
“IndiGo, with the world’s largest aircraft order book, continues its growth trajectory with nearly 900 Airbus aircraft still on order. The airline credits its strong partnership with Airbus—both globally and in India—for ensuring smooth deliveries. As India also becomes the fifth-largest international tourism market, this is seen not as a peak, but just the beginning of a much larger aviation story. India is in a hurry, so is Indigo,” shared Elbers.