It’s an exciting time for aviation in India, as India’s largest airline has just ordered wide body jets for the first time.
In this post:
IndiGo will fly the Airbus A350 as of 2027
IndiGo has placed an order for up to 100 Airbus A350-900s — this includes 30 firm orders, plus options for 70 more of these jets. The airline expects to take delivery of its first A350 as of 2027, so we’re still a few years off from these planes joining IndiGo’s fleet.
I find it noteworthy that the airline ordered the smaller A350-900 variant, rather than the larger A350-1000 variant, given that the latter has even better unit costs, and Indian airlines don’t exactly struggle to fill seats.
For context, IndiGo is an Indian low cost carrier that was founded in 2006 and is now run by Pieter Elbers, the former CEO of KLM. IndiGo is India’s largest airline in terms of the number of passengers carried.
The airline currently has a fleet of over 350 aircraft, comprised primarily of Airbus A320-family jets. The pace at which IndiGo is growing is almost unheard of. For example, in 2023, IndiGo placed an order for 500 Airbus A320neo family aircraft, the largest single aircraft order in history. The airline has nearly 1,000 aircraft on order.
While IndiGo primarily operates domestic flights, the airline also has an international route network, with select destinations in Africa and Asia.
While these A350s are the first wide body aircraft that IndiGo has ordered, the airline has previously ordered the A321XLR, which is Airbus’ new narrow body, long range aircraft.
Interestingly IndiGo has sort of been dabbling with wide body aircraft for some time. Since 2023, the airline has operated a couple of Boeing 777s in partnership with Turkish Airlines, flying primarily between Delhi and Istanbul. However, that has just been a limited experiment up until this point.
How will IndiGo’s business model evolve with the A350?
I’m very curious to see how IndiGo’s business model changes with the arrival of the Airbus A350. IndiGo has been a low cost carrier, and it goes without saying that the economics of being a low cost carrier are very different on short haul domestic flights than they are on long haul international flights, especially given the competitive landscape.
Presumably IndiGo will be going head-to-head against Air India in many international markets, with the wide body aircraft being used for flights to Europe, the United States, etc. What I’m most curious about is how the passenger experience will evolve:
- Will IndiGo try to offer a low cost carrier experience on long haul flights with a la carte pricing and minimal premium cabins, or could we see the airline go more upmarket, and introduce a proper and large premium cabin?
- If the airline does introduce proper premium cabins on A350s, will the passenger experience evolve as well on narrow body jets, to create a more consistent experience for connecting passengers?
- Similarly, will IndiGo introduce premium cabins on its A321XLRs, given the range of those jets?
It’s an incredibly exciting time for aviation in India. We’re seeing Air India undergo a full transformation, and now IndiGo is evolving significantly as well. What’s certain is that there’s no shortage of demand for travel to and from India, so there’s room for multiple Indian airlines to succeed.
If anything, these updates are about Indian airlines reclaiming market share from Gulf carriers, rather than anything else. For so many years, Gulf carriers have essentially been the de facto national carriers of India, and that’s slowly changing. I can’t help but wonder if a decade or two down the road, this could also lead to changes in the business model at Gulf airlines.
Bottom line
IndiGo has just placed an order for the Airbus A350-900. The airline has committed to flying 30 of these jets, with the first joining the carrier’s fleet as of 2027. This is a major development for India’s largest airline, which up until now has been a low cost carrier focused on regional flying. The airline hasn’t yet announced plans of what the passenger experience will look like, though that’ll be interesting to learn.
What do you make of IndiGo ordering the Airbus A350? Do you think IndiGo will go more upmarket with these jets?
They need to build a kitchen for hot meals, not that cold bread and tomatoes. What will they feed passengers??
Will the small Indian airsoace withstand this kind of heavy traffic.
Maybe something like Jetstar where widebody flights have recliner business class
I wonder if they are really a low cost airline. Many airlines a lot of people consider low cost are not but they are equallly not one of the legacy carriers.
They are low-cost in the Indian setting because they do not provide free meals or have wifi/a premium cabin/lounge access. They still have free baggage and run a really good operation. The full-service airlines like Air India and Vistara have first class, provide free meals to even economy passengers (even on 1 hour flights), have lounge access, etc.
Everyone seems so sure that Indigo will operate long-haul but I am wondering why people aren't considering that Indigo has a lot of demand within India and to the ME as well. They have already been shifting to a A321neo fleet with 230 seats because they can fill a lot of seats and the operate a million flights between the major cities (DEL, BOM, BLR). I would not be surprised if Indigo would want to...
Everyone seems so sure that Indigo will operate long-haul but I am wondering why people aren't considering that Indigo has a lot of demand within India and to the ME as well. They have already been shifting to a A321neo fleet with 230 seats because they can fill a lot of seats and the operate a million flights between the major cities (DEL, BOM, BLR). I would not be surprised if Indigo would want to fly A350's between these cities as well as from these cities to DXB, DOH, AUH, SIN, etc. Most of these cities already have multiple wide-body flights to these cities while Indigo can only currently fly their A320/321 which is probably a disadvantage in terms of capacity
They partner a few OneWorld airlines but it's such a letdown not being able to transfer from a premium cabin arriving in India to another premium cabin but instead to a LCC eg indigo. It would be good if they created a business cabin and joined OneWorld.
Indigo is a low cost airline operating even on long distance international routes, is so cheap to its passengers that they don’t offer even snacks for free for flights over 5-7 hours. For domestic flights, for the size of the country, majority of the flights are 2 hours or less. For that they are okay but for international routes, they really suck in passenger services.
I won't be surprised if some of the A350-900 orders change to A350-1000s once Indigo is satisfied with their dispatch reliability.
Indigo already partners with Air France and KLM whose former CEO Pieter Elbers is now theirs. It would make sense if they operated to Paris and Amsterdam.
Chiming in on the 787 vs A350 debate - for context, Indigo is the third most valued airline in the world, and with this it would perhaps become the only wide body operator among low cost carriers in the list of top 10. I assume the only way they think they could sustain their profits is through maximizing efficiencies. With an Airbus heavy narrow body fleet, that adds to the A350 argument, besides excellent unit...
Chiming in on the 787 vs A350 debate - for context, Indigo is the third most valued airline in the world, and with this it would perhaps become the only wide body operator among low cost carriers in the list of top 10. I assume the only way they think they could sustain their profits is through maximizing efficiencies. With an Airbus heavy narrow body fleet, that adds to the A350 argument, besides excellent unit economics. Add to that Boeing's extreme loss of credibility in recent times, even outside of safety it could cost Indigo heavily if in case of disruptions if the 787s are grounded. Besides, even the smaller A350 has a staggering range, though that might not hold if they go with an all-economy configuration. Indigo has set new standards in Indian aviation with their efficient operations, which itself is notoriously hard (ask Kingfisher, GoAir to name a few) given how much aviation is taxed and the price sensitive consumer behavior. I would not be surprised if they figure out a model that sets new standards for profitable long haul operations with their fleet. I agree with the assessment that Gulf carriers would be the biggest net losers.
Once again, Airbus can win a major order and start delivering within 2 to 3 years. The A350 is becoming the reference for long haul global travel
I was shocked they didn't go with 787. I thought Boeing would have given them an offer they couldn't refuse because indigo would be such a valuable long term customer.
Worth noting that the Indian government is very strict about how many seats they allow both their own and foreign carriers to operate on different markets. This I imagine would explain why Indigo opted for the smaller A350-900. It at least partly also explains why Turkish only flies to Mumbai and Delhi, why many of the European carriers fly their smaller long haul aircraft to India, why Air India relies so much on the tiny...
Worth noting that the Indian government is very strict about how many seats they allow both their own and foreign carriers to operate on different markets. This I imagine would explain why Indigo opted for the smaller A350-900. It at least partly also explains why Turkish only flies to Mumbai and Delhi, why many of the European carriers fly their smaller long haul aircraft to India, why Air India relies so much on the tiny 787-8 for such a large number of their long haul flights It even explains why Emirates put their lower capacity A380s with premium economy to Mumbai and Bengaluru so soon, the reduced seat count allowed them to use their surplus to add two extra flights per week to Ahmedabad
On most of these BAS, the other end have exhausted their Quotas and India still have a lot of growth available,
that's why they're refusing to sign an additional capacity till airlines from India use of their allotment or the other country comes up with a compromise as offer to Kuwait 9:1 (for every additional seat to Kuwait, India gets 9)
Turkish is only allowed to fly to Delhi and Mumbai (1 daily flights...
On most of these BAS, the other end have exhausted their Quotas and India still have a lot of growth available,
that's why they're refusing to sign an additional capacity till airlines from India use of their allotment or the other country comes up with a compromise as offer to Kuwait 9:1 (for every additional seat to Kuwait, India gets 9)
Turkish is only allowed to fly to Delhi and Mumbai (1 daily flights each, I guess)
Air India Bought those B787 long time ago, they have been having financial difficultly ever since and are changing up with A350 and B777 entering the mix.
European carriers?
KLM flies B787 and B777 not A330
BA flies B787(mostly -9), A350, B777
AF flies A350, B787, B777 not A330
LH flies A350 (not sure About A330 & A340)
TK flies B777 (not A330)
Emirates, yes
They have exhausted their allotment to India, any additional flights was pulled off from somewhere else, either by reducing capacity or reducing frequency.
I'm still surprised they went for the A350 after rumors of a 787 order came up. Then again it's commonality between Airbus planes and past history, that make an Airbus wide body the obvious choice. The XLR was mentioned, and that might be the reason why the A350 size plane got ordered and not the A330neo or the 787. The XLR will play an important role on thinner routes, while primary routes are served with...
I'm still surprised they went for the A350 after rumors of a 787 order came up. Then again it's commonality between Airbus planes and past history, that make an Airbus wide body the obvious choice. The XLR was mentioned, and that might be the reason why the A350 size plane got ordered and not the A330neo or the 787. The XLR will play an important role on thinner routes, while primary routes are served with the A359, which allows seamless upgrade to the A35K.
I guess the first experiences with the wet leased 777 was leading to the A359 and not to the A35K.
As anybody else also I am curious how IndiGo's entrance into the long haul business will look like.
Something is for sure, the ME3 airlines won't have smooth sailing any longer. They might be sitting on a huge pile of 777X planes, not able to fill anymore due to competition from India.
At this point, the ME3 have evolved enough to no longer be solely dependent on travelers to/from India. In the beginning, the reason EK was able to operate a huge fleet exclusively of A380s and 777s was because of traffic from the Indian Subcontinent. However, now they have grown to the point where these Airlines (mainly Emirates and Qatar), can connect any two points from the globe through their hub in Dubai or Doha.
...At this point, the ME3 have evolved enough to no longer be solely dependent on travelers to/from India. In the beginning, the reason EK was able to operate a huge fleet exclusively of A380s and 777s was because of traffic from the Indian Subcontinent. However, now they have grown to the point where these Airlines (mainly Emirates and Qatar), can connect any two points from the globe through their hub in Dubai or Doha.
While India's own airlines are growing, the ME3 still have traffic to/from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and more (all of which has substantial traffic that isn’t fully met by their own airlines). I think these airlines will see a reduction in the number of travelers though. However, Emirates future already doesn't have the A380. So a fleet of A330neos (maybe), A350s, and 777X aircraft should be sustainable.
I think for the best indication of 6E’s direction in service level for these jets, you only need to look how 6E handles being the marketing carrier on its Turkish codeshare. Meaning , the items and inclusions 6E offers on itineraries where 6E sells the flights connecting to or operated by TK would be a good indicator of its future plans for international service levels. That’s my thinking. I know from first hand experience that...
I think for the best indication of 6E’s direction in service level for these jets, you only need to look how 6E handles being the marketing carrier on its Turkish codeshare. Meaning , the items and inclusions 6E offers on itineraries where 6E sells the flights connecting to or operated by TK would be a good indicator of its future plans for international service levels. That’s my thinking. I know from first hand experience that Indigo has learned ALOT about international flying through this particular partnership.
This will be like Spirit/Frontier flying to Europe or Asia, wonder how this will go, are they going to stuff the A350 with 500 economy seats (doubt would have premium cabins)!
Indigo is a low cost carrier not an ULCC.
Spirit and Frontier are ULCC.
Southwest is LCC
So it's more like Southwest buying a bunch of B787 or B777 for Europe and Asia.
A350-900 us certified for 440 seats max.
Wonder where you plan on keeping those extra 60 passengers/seats
Indigo has a lot of name-brand recognition within India for being good because they have so more frequencies between every city, run an on-time reliable operation, and have more direct flights than any other Indian airline. This makes many business travelers prefer Indigo so they are the opposite of Frontier/Spirit/ other LCC's in that sense. Also even though they stuff seats in their planes their seats are more comfortable than Frontier/Spirit and they provide business...
Indigo has a lot of name-brand recognition within India for being good because they have so more frequencies between every city, run an on-time reliable operation, and have more direct flights than any other Indian airline. This makes many business travelers prefer Indigo so they are the opposite of Frontier/Spirit/ other LCC's in that sense. Also even though they stuff seats in their planes their seats are more comfortable than Frontier/Spirit and they provide business travelers with free snacks on domestic flights.
Among independent travel blogs, OMAAT is second to none in terms of covering global aviation news that has nothing to do with US readers. If a big aircraft order comes from easyJet, AirAsia or IndiGo, you can be rest assured that OMAAT will cover it, regardless of whether those airlines will ever fly to the US.
Speaking of whether IndiGo will fly to the US, low-cost longhaul travel is notoriously difficult to make money off...
Among independent travel blogs, OMAAT is second to none in terms of covering global aviation news that has nothing to do with US readers. If a big aircraft order comes from easyJet, AirAsia or IndiGo, you can be rest assured that OMAAT will cover it, regardless of whether those airlines will ever fly to the US.
Speaking of whether IndiGo will fly to the US, low-cost longhaul travel is notoriously difficult to make money off of, all the more so for Asian LCCs. However, I feel that 6E will easily be able to make boatloads of money to Western Europe, and particularly London, which has one of the biggest Indian diasporas in the world. Perhaps also SYD if it expands its QF p.ship.
Could we see them join an airline alliance?
Indigo is already a codeshare partner w/ British Airways and American Airlines - I think they're an obvious candidate (and a good one) for OneWorld given their global expansion plans and that Air India is already a Star Alliance partner.
More likely AF KL
Why would they join SkyTeam over OneWorld? IndiGo codeshares w/ 7 airlines today:
Oneworld (4): Qantas, Qatar, American, British Airways
SkyTeam (2): AF/KLM, Virgin Atlantic
Star Alliance (1): Turkish
So they already codeshare w/ a good chunk of OneWorld - given the location of those airlines, why would they join SkyTeam? British Airways is ~7x bigger than Virgin Atlantic so is far more preferred as a partner in the UK (London is very...
Why would they join SkyTeam over OneWorld? IndiGo codeshares w/ 7 airlines today:
Oneworld (4): Qantas, Qatar, American, British Airways
SkyTeam (2): AF/KLM, Virgin Atlantic
Star Alliance (1): Turkish
So they already codeshare w/ a good chunk of OneWorld - given the location of those airlines, why would they join SkyTeam? British Airways is ~7x bigger than Virgin Atlantic so is far more preferred as a partner in the UK (London is very likely their first European destination).
Delta doesn't even serve South Asia while American does in the US. Then there is a huge diaspora in Australia and Qatar (as well as Oman and Malaysia) whereas SkyTeam's big potential partner is only Saudia.
Could they be more like jetBlue?