Indians Will Fly More Than Twice As Often In A Decade, Predicts Airbus

Published 16 June 2026 · india

Indians Will Fly More Than Twice As Often In A Decade, Predicts Airbus Published By Last Updated: June 16, 2026, 18:23 IST Airbus executive Joost

Indians Will Fly More Than Twice As Often In A Decade, Predicts Airbus Published By Last Updated: June 16, 2026, 18:23 IST Airbus executive Joost van der Heijden sees strong Indian aviation growth, touts A330 neo versatility, discuss huge A320 orders and rising global deliveries, including A321 XLR Airbus Senior Executive believes India aviation sector is set to grow even amid 'complex environment'. (representational image; source: Wikimedia Commons) The Indian aviation market is set to grow strongly, according to a senior executive of the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, according to a report by news agency PTI. He also said that the company’s Airbus A330 neo aircraft could be a suitable option for the country. According to Airbus’ Senior Vice President, Marketing for Commercial Aircraft, Joost van der Heijden, the Airbus A330 neo is similar in economics to the wide-body A350 planes that are popular in India.

Airbus has a strong presence in India. The company currently has an order of 1,250 A320 family aircrafts from Indian carriers. This comes around to 120 aircraft deliveries per year for the next 10 years. Heijden said he believes despite the complex environment, the company is seeing a strong appetite for aircrafts among airliners worldwide. The deliveries of Airbus’ aircrafts are up 8 per cent in the first five months of 2026, compared with the past year, he informed. The deliveries of A321 XLR planes are also accelerating, he said. India’s largest budget airliner IndiGo also has the A321 XR aircraft in its fleet. “There are about 800 aircraft in service today, and we see that growing at close to 9 per cent over the coming 10 years," he said, in a conversation with the PTI on the sidelines of the annual general meeting of International Air Transport Association (IATA).

“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. With several high-density metro cities, the Indian domestic market is huge, he said, ‘with a lot of potential’. Further, “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," he said. “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. According to Heijden, 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, offering airlines the much-desired versatility.