PARIS, Oct 29 — Indian airline IndiGo has placed an order for 300 A320neo family aircraft, Airbus said today, in one of its largest-ever orders from a single firm, worth over US$33.2 billion at catalogue prices.

The leading Indian airline said the order would help it maintain its fast growth pace while helping it cut costs.

"The fuel-efficient A320neo family aircraft will allow IndiGo to maintain its strong focus on lowering operating costs and delivering fuel efficiency with high standards of reliability,” Riyaz Peermohamed, Chief Aircraft Acquisition and Financing Officer of IndiGo, said in a statement.

IndiGo is already the largest operator of Airbus’s latest-generation single-aisle model, which have become a top seller as they offer airlines considerable savings in fuel, one of their biggest costs.

The airline currently operates 97 of the planes. Including the 300 ordered today, it has ordered a total of 730 of the medium-range models.

This latest IndiGo order includes a mix of the A320neo, the larger-capacity A321neo and the A321XLR, with a longer range.

"IndiGo has brilliantly demonstrated the relevance of the A320neo for leading low-cost operators, and the A321neo — and now the A321XLR — provide our operators with the logical next step in cost efficiency, passenger comfort and market coverage,” said Airbus’ chief commercial officer, Christian Scherer. — AFP