Indian carrier IndiGo confirms order of 180 A320s

LE BOURGET, France - Indian low-cost airline IndiGo said Wednesday it has sealed a contract to buy 180 medium-haul A320 jets from Airbus in a deal worth $15 billion (10 billion euros) at list prices. The order comprises 150 A320neo jets, the upgraded and more fuel-efficient version of the A320, of which the airline will also take 30, making it the largest single civil aviation order by the number of planes involved. IndiGo head Aditya Ghosh announced the signing of the deal at the Paris International Airshow where Airbus has chalked up hundreds of orders for the A320neo, heaping the pressure on fierce rival Boeing in the key medium-haul segment of the market. Airbus commercial head John Leahy said the sale was “the largest transaction in civil aviation ever done.” Leahy said Airbus could have chalked up more than 1,000 orders for the A320neo by the end of the airshow at the weekend.