Airbus estimates that aircraft deliveries to its Indian customers, including IndiGo and the Air India group, will average two planes a week for the next 10 years, Jürgen Westermeier, President & MD – India & South Asia, Airbus, said on Thursday.
Speaking at the Wings India 2026 air show launch at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad, Westermeier said that Airbus plane deliveries to Indian airlines will reach a peak of 150 aircraft a year in the next few years. The company had delivered around 70 aircraft to Indian carriers in 2025.
He added that the French aerospace giant currently has 1,750 aircraft on order with Indian airlines. While presenting Airbus’ commercial market outlook for India and South Asia, Westermeier also said that India will need 35,000 new pilots and 35,000 technicians by 2035.
Rapid Passenger Growth
Airbus expects India’s passenger traffic to grow at a CAGR of 8.9% till 2035. Westermier added that nearly 10% of Airbus’ production is dedicated to supplying planes to Indian carriers.
He added that Airbus currently imports components worth $ 1.5 billion from Indian customers, which is likely to rise to $2 billion by 2030. Westermier also said that for the growth of the aircraft manufacturing industry and the aircraft component manufacturing industry in the country, a production-linked incentive scheme is mandatory.
The European aerospace major is also planning to step backward in the supply chain by sourcing raw material like aluminium, steel and titanium from the country.
Trade Agreement Impact
Westermeier, who is also the president of the Federation of European Business in India, sees a massive upside in travel as result of the India-EU FTA.
He added that the India-Europe Free Trade Agreement will increase the growth of the economy in India and will accelerate the growth of the middle class. However, he added that so far, the FTA is not likely to have a major impact on the procurement price of aircraft and aircraft components by Indian airlines.
As part of its mega aircraft order placed in 2023 with Airbus and Boeing, the Air India group currently has a total of 344 new aircraft incoming from Airbus, while IndiGo has more than orders exceeding 1,350 aircraft on order with deliveries running well into the next decade.
Timely aircraft deliveries are critical to airlines’ fleet and network expansion strategies, and slower-than-expected deliveries could weigh on their growth plans.