IndiGo, India's largest airline, is negotiating to buy 100 Embraer jets, Reuters says
Talks are at an early stage and include an option for about 50 additional aircraft; deliveries would begin no earlier than 2030.
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IndiGo, India's largest airline, is negotiating the purchase of 100 aircraft from Embraer, with an option for about 50 more, according to three sources who spoke to the Reuters news agency, in a report published by Folha de S.Paulo. If finalized, the order could be among the largest ever received by the Brazilian manufacturer.
According to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the talks are at an early stage and there is no guarantee of a deal. The aircraft model has not yet been defined, the quantity may change and deliveries would start no earlier than 2030. IndiGo and Embraer did not immediately comment. At around 12:10 p.m., Embraer shares were up 0.81% at R$104.69.
An order of that size could be worth billions of dollars at list prices, although discounts are common in the industry. It would also be a significant win in the world's third-largest domestic aviation market, where currently only the small regional carrier Star Air operates Embraer jets.
The manufacturer has been offering its regional jets to Indian airlines and, this year, signed a non-binding agreement with Adani Defence & Aerospace to assess a final assembly line for the E175-E1 in India. In March, Embraer CEO Francisco Gomes Neto said that plan would depend on orders for at least 200 aircraft.
For IndiGo, the jets would make it possible to open routes to regional destinations and replace some of its ATR turboprops. The company, led since August by Willie Walsh, aims to reach about 600 aircraft by 2030, up from 442 in September, in a fleet made up mainly of Airbus narrow-body jets.