While the Indian company Indigo has ordered 300 A320 Neo aircraft from Airbus, Daniel Fortin takes stock of this historic order.
This is a figure that makes the head spin, the Indian company IndiGo has just ordered 300 A320 neo aircraft to Airbus, we can say that this is a historic order.
It is rare indeed that a company orders alone as many planes to a manufacturer. If the volume is high, so is the check. At the list price, it represents at least $ 33 billion for Airbus and its flagship aircraft. In other words, the factories of the group have not finished turning. But beyond this good news, what surprises most is the name of the company that has just signed this check in solid gold. Her name is IndiGo, she is Indian and apart from those who have traveled to India and see her everywhere in the country's airports, few people here know her existence. It will nevertheless become one of the major players in air transport in the coming years.
Are we sure that India needs so many planes?
The answer is yes, simply because the traffic explosion is spectacular as elsewhere throughout Asia. The number of passengers has increased sixfold in India in ten years and the country is expected to become the third largest air market in the world in 2025. It will not be the only one, China, Indonesia and others are on the same trend. This is a historic turning point that unfolds before our eyes, the massive shift in growth from West to East. For now, it is the United States that has leadership in air transport but it will be over soon. Because if the number of passengers will double to more than eight billion people in 20 years, it will be mainly thanks to Asian tourists.
Daniel Fortin replaces Nicolas Barré this Wednesday, October 30, 2019.