Article Posted on : - Mar 04, 2010

A file photo of A320 aircraft. Photo Airbus Industrie

HYDERABAD (PTI): Gurgaon-based budget air-carrier IndiGo plans to take delivery of ten aircraft this year of which one has already been inducted into its fleet, a top company official said.

"We are taking delivery of ten Airbus A 320s this calendar year. We have already inducted one into our fleet and the remaining nine will be delivered over the next nine-months," IndiGo's President Aditya Ghosh told reporters here on Wednesday.

The total cost of acquisition is USD 800 million (about Rs 3,600 crore) (sticker price), he said, adding the aircraft acquisition would be funded through internal accruals.

After induction of one more aircraft, its fleet strength now stands at 25. The airline has plans to add more aircraft next year with the objective of expanding its fleet size to 40 by 2012, Ghosh said.

The airline would now be concentrating on increasing the number of frequencies from its existing destinations rather than adding new ones, he said.

"This year, we will add four new destinations, two of which will be Jammu and Srinagar being launched on March 18," Ghosh said, adding the other two destinations will be announced later.