Mumbai: Budget carrier IndiGo said it has received the first delivery of the A321neos from CDB Aviation under a purchase and leaseback arrangement with the Irish aircraft lessor.
The delivery of the longer-range aircraft is a part of the nine A321 neos planes deal that is to be inducted in IndiGo’s fleet by January next year, the airline said in a release.
The A321neo aircraft is equipped with the Pratt & Whitney PW1133G turbofan engines and configured with a 222- seat layout. IndiGo has six A321neos in its fleet of 243 planes, according to a fleet tracking website. CDB Aviation is a wholly-owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co.
“We are delighted to add another A321neo in our fleet as we continue to expand our domestic and international operations. The A320 family has enhanced the cost and fuel- efficiency in IndiGos operations and will strengthen this proposition in future,” said CEO, IndiGo, Ronojoy Dutta in a release. Significantly, this was also the delivery of the 1000th Airbus A320 family aircraft by the European aviation major. We are pleased to be part of this important delivery, providing support to our partners at IndiGo, said Sign Kadouh, had of commercial, CDB Aviation. CDB Aviation anticipates the remaining eight aircraft to be handed over by the end of January 2020, the release said.
CDB Aviation chief executive officer, Peter Chang said, The significant scale of this transaction further demonstrates our commitment to offering wide-ranging solutions to airlines, providing the ideal fleet options they seek, one aircraft or an entire fleet at a time.