Indian airline IndiGo orders 30 Airbus A350 widebody planes / Photo: INDRANIL MUKHERJEE - AFP/File
-
Basil Tuma Scores First Senior Goal as Malta Draws with Ten-Man Eswatini
-
RSC’s ‘Julius Caesar’ Reimagined in Women’s Prison Setting for School Tour
-
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Announced; Attendance List Shrinks
-
Thomson Reuters Integrates CUBE Regulatory Intelligence into CoCounsel Legal
-
How Families Plan and Save for Holiday Travel
-
Below Deck alumnus João Franco and brother arrested after fatal Turkey fight
-
Ole Miss inquiry expands after video and monkey-noise allegations
-
Thousands of Urban Homes Left Without High-Speed Internet Due to Broadband Blackspots
-
General Hospital actor Randall England dies at 75
-
Bunnie XO artwork taken down from Jelly Roll’s Nashville bar
-
London museum removes Russell Brand hair exhibit after rape conviction
-
Arlington sentinel rebukes Pete Hegseth entourage for laughter near memorial
-
Yella Beezy sentenced to life for arranging rapper Mo3’s murder
-
Kylie Jenner employee describes closet ordeal and pepper-spray incident
-
Authorities to identify Montauk Mary and five other Long Island cold-case victims
-
Davante Adams injury deepens Los Angeles Rams receiver shortage
-
Barbie sequel negotiations stall over reported $25 million pay packages
-
João Franco’s earlier post draws attention after arrest over fatal Turkey brawl
-
Bath & Body Works launches buy-one-get-one-free candle offer
-
Alberta Launches $5M Fund for Women’s Neurology Research to Address Gender Gaps
-
Itlu Arjuna receives U/A certificate ahead of theatrical release
-
Dhananjaya de Silva guides Sri Lanka to 221-4 against Pakistan
-
Niraj Kumar earns Los Angeles Olympic quota with 50m rifle bronze
-
Delhi gold loses Rs 800 while silver falls Rs 5,000
-
India extends micro-credit guarantee plan for five years
-
Madlanga Commission Deadline Extended to 2027 Amid Calls for Structural Justice Reform
-
Pradeep Antony, Smeha Manimegalai portray secret spouses in Mr & Mrs Office
-
Zelenskyy arrives in Dublin for meetings on Ukraine and peace efforts
-
Woman barred from every Greggs outlet after series of offences
-
Jury hears social-media image helped identify teen in Scarlett Faulkner case
-
Ketchup packets link suspect to break-in at Eddie Rocket’s restaurant
-
American Airlines passenger falls ill and vomits on three travellers
-
US Adds 165,000 Jobs as Unemployment Falls to 4.1%
-
US Inflation Broadens as Fed Officials Consider Faster Rate Hikes
-
China's Singles' Day Exposes Persistent Consumer Caution
-
China's Trade Surplus Passes $1 Trillion as Technology Exports Surge
-
OPEC Says Oil Output Is Near Prewar Levels Despite Shipping Disruptions
-
Energy Costs Push OECD Inflation Up to 4.5%
-
Bank of England Raises Interest Rate to 4% as Energy Risks Intensify
-
China's Factory Inflation Accelerates While Consumer Demand Stays Weak
-
Euro-Area Inflation Reaches 4% as Energy Prices Jump
-
Spain's General Strike Links Housing Crisis to Lost Purchasing Power
-
Irish police prepare for further hoax bomb threats after hundreds of schools targeted
-
Korea, Singapore and New Zealand Advance Green Trade Pact Talks
-
RBA Inflation Target Origins: Why Australia Chose a Range Over Zero
-
Ireland and Ukraine consider drone cooperation memorandum after Dublin talks
Indian airline IndiGo orders 30 Airbus A350 widebody planes
Indian airline IndiGo said on Sunday it had signed an order for 30 more Airbus A350-900s, bringing its shopping list for the widebody aircraft from the European aircraft manufacturer to 60.
"We are placing a firm order for 30 Airbus A350-900s," said Pieter Elbers, the CEO of IndiGo, a company founded in 2006 and already behind the largest contract by volume in the history of civil aviation -- 500 Airbus single-aisle aircraft by 2023.
The Indian low-cost carrier, the country's biggest by market share, is positioning itself as a significant player in the long-haul market.
"This strategic move will enable IndiGo to spread its wings further and expand its long-haul international network", the company said in a statement.
"This is yet another step in defining the airline's long-term plans of international expansion".
The A350 planes, with ranges of up to 15,000 kilometres (9,300 miles), will allow it to further expand its network.
Overall, IndiGo has placed orders for around 1,000 aircraft from the A320 family, Airbus's most successful model and rival of the Boeing 737 MAX, which has endured multiple setbacks after a series of safety scares.
Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which began its annual industry conference in New Delhi on Sunday, said "the development of India's air connectivity in recent years has been nothing short of phenomenal".
Indian domestic air growth is "running at over 10 percent" per year, Walsh said, ahead of the conference.
The growth of its economy has made India and its 1.4 billion people the world's fourth-largest air market -- domestic and international -- with IATA projecting it will become the third biggest within the decade.
Last year, India's domestic air passenger traffic reached a "historic milestone, surpassing 500,000 passengers in a single day", according to India's Ministry of Civil Aviation.
The ministry boasts of a sector "experiencing a meteoric rise".
Railways remain hugely popular but travelling by trains crisscrossing a country about three-quarters the area of the European Union is often slow and chaotic.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is slated to address IATA delegates on Monday, has made the development of the air sector a priority since coming to power in 2014.
India has doubled its number of airports in the past decade to 157, with plans to have as many as 400 by 2047.
F.Pedersen--AMWN