Air Mauritius has confirmed an order for three A350 aircraft to expand its network in Europe and South Asia.
The latest order brings the airline’s A350 fleet to a total of seven. The airline already operates four A350 and four A330 Airbus aircraft.
Commenting on the deal, the chief executive officer of Air Mauritius, Mr. Kresimir Kucko, remarked: “Air Mauritius is proud to renew its confidence in Airbus and its products, continuing a three-decade long partnership.
“The additional A350-900 aircraft will help us strengthen our European network and secure further growth in other markets. We are looking forward to achieving our ambitious objectives together with Airbus.
“We compliment Air Mauritius on putting the A350 at the heart of its long-haul fleet modernisation programme. With greater range capability, better economics, passenger capacity and comfort, the A350 is the perfect platform to connect the beautiful island of Mauritius to the world,” said Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International at Airbus.
The A350’s clean sheet design includes state-of-the-art technologies and aerodynamics delivering unmatched standards of efficiency and comfort. Its new generation engines and use of lightweight materials make it the most fuel efficient large wide body aircraft.
The A350 is the world’s most modern and efficient wide body aircraft and the long range leader in the 300-410-seater category.
It offers the longest range capability of any commercial airliner Family in production today with a range of up to 9,700nm non-stop.
Similarly, India’s largest carrier, IndiGo, placed a firm order for 500 A320 family aircraft.
With the quantum of the order, the airline has set the record for the biggest single purchase agreement in the history of commercial aviation.
The latest agreement takes the total number of Airbus aircraft on order by IndiGo to 1,330, establishing its position as the world’s biggest A320 family customer.
The purchase agreement was signed by the promoter and managing director of IndiGo, Mr. Rahul Bhatia, chairman and non-executive independent director of IndiGo, Dr Venkataramani Sumantran and the chief executive officer of Airbus, Mr. Guillaume Faury and Airbus chief commercial officer and head of international, Mr. Christian Scherer, at the Paris Air Show 2023.
“It is difficult to overstate the significance of IndiGo’s new historic order for 500 Airbus A320 Family aircraft. An order book now of almost 1000 aircraft well into the next decade, enables IndiGo to fulfil its mission to continue to boost economic growth, social cohesion and mobility in India. At IndiGo, we take pride in being India’s preferred airline for connectivity in and with India; and by doing so, being one of the leading airlines in the world. This order strongly reaffirms IndiGo’s belief in the growth of India, in the A320 Family and in our strategic partnership with Airbus,” the chief executive officer of IndiGo, Mr. Pieter Elbers, noted.
“This landmark order marks a new chapter in Airbus and IndiGo’s relationship that is democratising affordable air travel for millions of people in the world’s fastest growing aviation market. It is also a resounding endorsement of the A320 Family’s best-in-class operating economics that have been powering IndiGo’s growth for almost two decades.
We cherish our long-standing relationship with IndiGo and are proud of our success together. We look forward to contributing to the growth of India’s air connectivity in its domestic network and into international markets through the expansion of this formidable partnership,” Scherer said.
