Airbus wins 300-jet order from Asian discount carrier IndiGo

Airbus won one of its biggest-ever contracts with a deal for 300 jets from Indian budget carrier IndiGo that’s worth more than US$30b at sticker prices. The order for the A320neo narrow-body planes includes the latest XLR long-range variant and takes IndiGo’s order book for the family to 730 aircraft, it said Tuesday. The deal marks the latest victory for Airbus as rival Boeing reels from the idling of its 737 Max. For IndiGo, the purchase will help widen its lead in the world’s fastest-growing major aviation market, as it embarks on an ambitious expansion plan, seeking to eventually connect cities such as London with India. Founded in 2005 by ex-US Airways CEO Rakesh Gangwal and former travel agent Rahul Bhatia, IndiGo has quickly outpaced all its rivals to grab almost half of the local market, making both founders billionaires. Its smallest order so far was for 100 A320 jets in 2005 worth US$6 billion at list prices at the time. Airbus’s new A321 XLR has extended the range of the A320neo family to 4,700 nautical miles, so that buying the model would allow IndiGo to offer narrow-body flights between city pairs that can’t support larger jets. The XLR also overlaps with the market Boeing would target with its long-planned New Midmarket Airplane or NMA. <br/>