India’s tilt toward Airbus aligns with Indigo expansion

Airbus has jumped Boeing in deliveries

Airbus deliveries to Indian airlines have far exceeded those of Boeing since 2006, according to a Moneycontrol analysis of data from the two major aircraft manufacturers.

While Boeing has delivered 213 aircraft between 2006 and May 2025, IndiGo’s rapid expansion has shifted Indian aviation decisively toward Airbus, with 675 deliveries over the last two decades.

Air India, in its current form, has maintained a more balanced fleet, having taken delivery of 122 Boeing aircraft and 114 Airbus planes during this period.

The trend of higher Airbus deliveries mirrors global patterns. Since 2006, Airbus has, on average, delivered 100 more aircraft annually than Boeing. Airbus delivered 603 aircraft per year globally between 2006 and 2025, compared with Boeing’s 506.

Airbus’s dominance in the order book also reflects Boeing’s prolonged troubles with both its wide- and narrow-body aircraft. The grounding of Boeing’s 737 MAX globally—from March 2019 to December 2020—after two fatal crashes that killed nearly 350 people, significantly dented its market share and credibility.

Between 2006 and 2025, Indian airlines placed orders for 928 Boeing aircraft, less than half the number ordered from Airbus in the same period.

What Is India Flying?

Boeing’s Indian fleet comprises 56 wide-body and 113 narrow-body aircraft. Airbus, by contrast, has focused more heavily on narrow-body aircraft in India.

Of the 675 Airbus deliveries, 143 have been A321neo models, and 281 have been A320neo. Counting for operational airlines, the Airbus has delivered 569 aircraft to Air India and Indigo, with 140 additional operations run by these two.

Boeing has delivered 33 787 Dreamliners—one of which was involved in the recent crash in Ahmedabad—and 23 aircraft from the 777 series.

India currently operates 63 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft: 48 are with Air India, 8 with Akasa Air, and 7 with SpiceJet. Airlines are awaiting deliveries of another 499 aircraft, of which 20 are 787 Dreamliners, 142 737Max, 10 777X are to be delivered to Air India, 198 737Max are to be delivered to Akasa Air and 129 to Spicejet.