Fleet size of the aviation market in India 2021-2033, by aircraft type

In 2024, aviation companies in India had a total of 610 aircraft, a significant portion of which were narrow-body aircraft. By the year 2034, the number of narrow-body aircraft would double to more than 1.25 thousand units from 2021. This was followed by turboprop and widebody type aircraft respectively.

Aviation industry in India

Before the coronavirus pandemic took its toll on the country, the aviation industry was on a positive trajectory of development. Aircraft traffic saw an all-time high in fiscal year 2019 at 2.6 million movements. It was one of the world’s largest aviation markets by number of airline passengers. The passenger airline market of the country was dominated by private low-cost airlines, among which IndiGo held the dominant position.

Expanding airline fleets

In June 2023, almost at the same time, IndiGo placed an order for 500 Airbus aircraft, while Air India ordered 470 aircraft from both Airbus and Boeing. The order of 500 aircraft has set the record for the largest single purchase agreement in the history of commercial aviation, with Air India's order being the second largest. All 500 aircraft in the order come from the A320 family, a series of narrow-body airliners. They are primarily intended for domestic flights within India. In contrast, the aircraft ordered by Air India included 70 widebody planes, from the Airbus A350 family as well as Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners and 777Xs. This new order followed closely after the Tata Group’s acquisition of Air India from the government of India.