Indian Carriers Need $50 Billion To Buy Planes Over The Next 10 Years, Says CAPA

Indian carriers, which have placed large aircraft purchase orders, will require $50 billion of financing to take the expected scheduled delivery of these planes over the next nearly 10 years, a report said.

With a total of 1,055 aircraft on order, as many as 100 planes comprising wide-body, narrow-body and regional ones are to be delivered to Indian carriers each year for the next five years, said the report by Sydney-based aviation think-tank Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.

Against this background, Indian carriers will require an estimated $50 billion of financing to support projected deliveries until 2027, it said.

Stating that the unexpected recovery in Indian aviation since 2014 has changed the dynamics of the market and the demand for aircraft, the CAPA said that “positive market conditions have led Indian carriers to place bets on expansion on an unprecedented scale.”

As many as 723 aircraft have been ordered since 2014 and more orders are expected, CAPA added. India's domestic market has grown at around 20 percent every year over the last three years years and a similar expansion is expected in the current financial year, it said.

Meanwhile, international traffic has also grown steadily at 8-10 percent per annum in recent years.

Projected fleet expansion represents a major opportunity for aircraft investors looking to deploy capital in new generation assets, the report said.