Page 20 - AAA NOV / DEC 2024 Digital Magazine | GBP

IndiGo’s fleet stood at 382 aircraft,
including three A321 freighters. 16
A320s and two B777s in this fleet
are operated on Damp Lease,
while the LCC operates 333
aircraft on 333 Operating Lease
and has 31 aircraft which it either
owns or are on 31 Finance Lease.
IndiGo’s aircraft fleet comprises
of 196 A320neos, 38 A320ceos,
98 A321neos, 45 ATRs, three
A321 freighters and two B777s.
Approximately 70 of IndiGo’s
A320neo jetliners powered by
Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan
Engines (GTF) are grounded.
The carrier has said that it is
working with Pratt & Whitney
of operations. This is no small who will retire later this year, towards ensuring a constant
feat in India’s brutally competitive after seven years with the air- supply of spare engines and basis
civil aviation environment, which line.‘I am certain that he will be the current estimates, expects
has seen the demise of airlines able to contribute to the next the groundings to start reducing
such as GoFirst, Jet Airways and chapter of IndiGo’s growth story towards the start of the next year.
Kingfisher Airlines, to name a few. further significantly. As we move It has also finalized an amend-
In 2023, IndiGo carried100 million towards the next phase of our ment to its existing agreement
passengers (a first for the airline) ambitious growth plans, Isidro will with Pratt & Whitney for provid-
as compared to 78 million passen- work closely with the leadership ing customized compensation in
gers it carried in 2022. In the first team, to build and prioritize our relation to the grounding of aircraft
quarter of the Financial Year 2025, focus areas. His deep expertise due to spare engine unavailabil-
IndiGo ferried around 28 million in operations and demonstrated ity. To cater for the aircraft which
customers during the quarter. success in previous organiza- are grounded, IndiGo is slated to
The LCC also reported a reported tions will be instrumental as we induct six more aircraft (subject to
a Profit After Tax (PAT) of 27.3 continue to execute our strategic regulatory approvals) from Qatar
billion rupees (approx US$ 332 vision and expand business in Airlines for the Doha route on
million) with a margin of around international markets,’ Elbers said. wet or damp lease in the coming
14 percent for the same quarter. Indigo is now reinventing itself to quarters. IndiGo has a firm pend-
“Looking at the under-pene- prepare for the future and is slated ing orderbook of more than 975
trated Indian market, we feel still to induct its first Airbus A321 aircraft that will see the carrier
very confident about the growth XLR in 2025, followed by the first receive more than one aircraft per
and the long-term growth per- A350-900 in 2027. The airline has week into the early 2030s.
spectives of that Indian market stated that it plans to double in
and a significant number will size by 2030. IndiGo is also sitting IndiGo is also building up its
go up in the years ahead,” said on a pile of free cash, worth over international network and earlier
Pieter Elbers, IndiGo’s CEO. The Rs 220 billion (approx US$ 2.7 this year in May, announced firm
airline today operates around billion), which will be used for its orders for 30 A350-900s, with
2100 daily flights, connecting over future growth plans and the goal purchase rights for an additional
85 domestic and more than 30 of becoming a 600 plus aircraft 70 Airbus A350 Family aircraft.
international destinations. carrier by the end of the decade. “IndiGo’s first widebody order
Earlier this year, the airline also opens an exciting new chapter
In September, IndiGo announced announced that it would introduce in our close partnership. We
that it had nominated Isidro Business Class seating on the are proud that our fuel-efficient,
Porqueras to take over as its country’s busiest routes for busi- next-generation A320 Family
Chief Operating Officer (COO) ness travellers. revolutionised domestic air
effective November 1, 2024 to travel in India, and that now
succeed Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, As of 30th June, this year, the A350 is poised to replicate

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