The Paris Air show will kick-off next week at Le Bourget, just north of the city. All eyes will be on the orders (or LoIs and MoUs) which will get signed. The Paris Air Show is resuming for the first time since 2019, post Covid.
The Paris Air show is where the IndiGo story started in 2005, when the airline placed an order for 100 A320 aircraft. The then unknown entity was ridiculed for placing such a large order prior to starting operations the next year. Not only has IndiGo taken delivery of all 100 aircraft, it has gone on to place two more large orders of 500-odd aircraft.
What are the major players flaunting?
Along with the deals, a key area of interest is what the aircraft manufacturers will flaunt. European major Airbus, headquartered in France, will showcase the A220 — the smallest member of the Airbus family — along with the A321XLR, which Airbus aims to operationalise by 2024. Besides, there will be the A321LR, which is already in service and has opened up the transatlantic market for the likes of jetBlue, and the A350-900, six of which will join Air India later this year. Airbus will also showcase helicopters and defence aircraft.
ATR will showcase its latest ATR 72-600 aircraft at the show. IndiGo, flyBig, and Alliance Air use this in India. Embraer will showcase the E195-E2, along with its defence portfolio of C 390 and Super Tucano airplanes.
Boeing, Airbus’ rival, will be showcasing the 737-10 and 777-9, neither of which are certified but nonetheless have orders from airlines. Boeing will also exhibit its defence choppers like the Chinook and the Apache, both of which are part of the Indian Air Force.
The recently-revealed special livery of Riyadh Air on the 787 Dreamliner will also be on display. The livery has attracted quite a few eyeballs across the world. In the case of an airplane, the livery is the design on the exterior of the plane.
Also on display will be the Airbus A350-1000 by Qatar Airways. It will be a giant leap for both Qatar Airways and Airbus to have this aircraft at Paris, especially after the two decided to have an out-of-court settlement on the issue of peeling paint, which had seen the two battle it out in a London court.
All eyes on India
Multiple reports have indicated that IndiGo might place another order, which may be larger than the order Air India placed in February this year. Speculation is also rife that the airline could look at placing orders for a widebody.
IndiGo is already the undisputed market leader in India, and now plans to expand internationally. While the airline expanded on the domestic front taking advantage of the demise of local heroes, among other things, international operations are a different ball game altogether, with bilateral rights and more coming into the picture.
The LoI signed by Air India with Boeing has now been formalised after the payment of the first tranche. Will Air India do likewise with Airbus at the Paris show? The orders will then be firmed up, setting the stage for deliveries in the second half of the year.
Widebody, really?
In India, Airbus has dominated the narrowbody business, while Boeing has cornered 100 percent of the widebody market. IndiGo’s first widebody operation, a damp-leased aircraft (with pilots but not the cabin crew), is the only Boeing in IndiGo livery among over 300 Airbus aircraft.
Low-cost and widebody have not quite worked in the past, for example, in the case of Wow Air, AirAsia X, and Norwegian. So will IndiGo take the plunge and go for widebodies? Will there be anything from India for Embraer and ATR?
We will know in the coming week.
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