IndiGo budget airline prepares for another 'large' Airbus order

IndiGo is in talks with Airbus for another large plane order in a sign Asia’s biggest budget carrier has no intention of letting up on a blistering pace of expansion. The Indian airline, which adds an aircraft to its fleet every week, is in discussions to buy a longer-range version of the European planemaker’s newest narrow-body jet, according to CEO Ronojoy Dutta. Existing orders will see IndiGo through the next two years, Dutta said. After that, the carrier is considering adding new planes including Airbus’s long-distance A321neo LR and the yet-to-be-released A321 XLR, he said. “When we order, we’ll order in bulk for sure,” Dutta said. “I can’t give you a tentative number, but it will be large. We need longer range.” Though Dutta didn’t specify the size of IndiGo’s next purchase, it’s likely to be a multi-billion-dollar order based on the company’s history. Its smallest order so far was for 100 A320 jets in 2005 worth $6b at list prices at the time. Given that the most-basic variant of the A320neo family today carry sticker prices of more than $100m each, a large order could exceed $10b.<br/>