A330 neo planes could be very good option for Indian aviation market: Airbus Executive

New Delhi: The Indian aviation market will continue to grow strongly, and Airbus' A330 neo aircraft, which has a level of economics comparable to the wide-body A350 planes, could be a very good option for the country, according to a senior company executive.

European aerospace major Airbus, which has a strong presence in India, has around 1,250 A320 family aircraft orders from Indian carriers, which translates to over 120 deliveries every year over the coming 10 years.

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Joost van der Heijden, Senior Vice President, Marketing for Commercial Aircraft at Airbus, told PTI in a recent interview that despite the complex environment, the company continues to see a strong appetite for aircraft among airlines worldwide.

In the first five months of 2026, he said Airbus aircraft deliveries were up 8 per cent compared to the year-ago period, and the deliveries of A321 XLR planes are accelerating.

India's largest airline IndiGo also operates A321 XLR aircraft.

During the interview on the sidelines of the recently-concluded annual general meeting of global airlines' association IATA, Heijden said India is a market that will continue to grow strongly.

"There are about 800 aircraft in service today, and we see that growing at close to 9 percent over the coming 10 years.

"I think the potential for growth in the propensity to travel, the number of trips per capita, is tremendous. Today it's about 0.13 trips on average per person in India, and that will more than double over the coming 10 years," he said.

On whether Indian airlines could place orders for A330 neo planes, Heijden said the aircraft has a level of economics that is comparable to the A350 through the engine efficiency, aerodynamics and passenger experience.

"We call it A330 neo, the versatile champion because it is an aircraft that is equally efficient on domestic and regional routes as well as long-range routes," he said.

According to him, India has a huge domestic market with a lot of potential and high-density metro cities.

"There's a very strong regional market in the countries close around.

There's a very strong market to Asia as well to Australia, and then to Europe.

"So, an aircraft that's capable of flying all those types of routes and networks efficiently could be a very good option for India," he said.

A330 neo is the best aircraft for anything one wants to do between an A321 and an A350, operating from the shortest domestic/regional sectors to trans pacific routes, with the highest density low-cost carriers to the most premium ones, as per the Airbus website.

Flying from 30 minutes to 17 hours, A330 neo provides a unique platform to operate various types of routes, in high-density or three-class cabin configurations, it said.

About the current supply chain situation, Heijden said it was actually looking a lot better compared to some time ago.

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"Of course, there are still tensions on the engine side, cabin and equipment," he said.

The global aviation industry has been grappling with various supply chain issues, including delays in engines and aircraft deliveries.

While acknowledging that the current operating environment remains complex, he said Airbus is working as partners with its customers to navigate through the current landscape to meet their requirements.

"It is really about working hand in hand, listening to each other and trusting each other," Heijden said.

Airbus entered India's commercial aviation market with the introduction of the A300B2 in 1976. Domestic carriers operate both narrow-body A320 family planes as well as the wide-body A350 aircraft.

"There are 120 Airbus aircraft going to India per year over the coming 10 years. That creates a very strong bond. India, as a country with all its expertise, technological knowledge and capabilities, is a very important partner for Airbus," he said.

Airbus also aims to increase its sourcing of aerospace components and services from India to USD 2 billion by 2030.

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