IndiGo Becomes World's Most Valuable Airline, Surpassing Delta Airlines In Market Cap

IndiGo airline, surpassed US-based Delta Air Lines in market capitalisation on Wednesday to become the world's most valuable airline, according to Bloomberg data. IndiGo's share price hit a high of Rs 5,262.5 on Wednesday, pushing its market capitalisation to $23.24 billion by 2:30 pm, slightly ahead of Delta's $23.17 billion.

As the only Indian carrier in the world’s top 10 airlines, IndiGo operates 15,768 flights per week, a 12.7 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, as per a Business Standard report.

To meet the increasing demand in India’s air travel market, Indian carriers have made several major aircraft orders since 2023. In February 2023, the Tata-owned Air India group placed an order for 470 planes, consisting of 250 from Airbus and 220 from Boeing. Later, in June 2023, IndiGo set a record with the world’s largest-ever aircraft order, securing 500 narrow-body A320neo family planes from Airbus.

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Order Of New Aircraft

In January 2024, the new airline Akasa Air followed suit with an order of 150 Boeing B737 Max aircraft. Just three months later, IndiGo made its first-ever wide-body aircraft order, acquiring 30 A350 planes from Airbus. This move is seen as a key step in expanding the airline’s international operations and network. In October 2024, Air India further boosted its fleet by placing an order for an additional 85 Airbus planes.

The Air India group and IndiGo currently dominate India’s domestic passenger market, together holding over 90 per cent of the share.

Edward Delahaye, head of customer accounts for India and South Asia at Airbus, predicted in February 2024 that India is set to become the global aviation hub within 15 years, thanks to growing capacity and well-managed airlines, as per the report.

India’s fleet includes approximately 800 commercial aircraft, with the majority supplied by European manufacturer Airbus. Delahaye highlighted that the country’s aviation prospects are bright, driven by factors such as domestic traffic growth, GDP expansion, the recapture of international traffic from other airports, and India’s growing role as a global aviation connector. 

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