IAE V2500 SelectOne Launched into Commercial Service with IndiGo

Released on Wednesday, October 01, 2008

IAE today celebrated its latest milestone on the V2500 SelectOne™ program when the new engine entered into commercial service with launch customer, IndiGo, after being delivered on time on September 23rd.

The aircraft, which is leased from Australia's Allco Finance Group, is being utilized on new round-trip daily services between Jaipur and Ahmedabad, Chennai (via Mumbai) and Guwahati (via Kolkata); between Ahmedabad and Bangalore, Pune and Kolkata, and additional round-trip services between Mumbai and Jaipur.

IAE Executive Vice President � Customer Business, Ian Aitken, said: "Rather than being the end of the road, we view today's entry into service with IndiGo as the start of a new journey. The airline has backed its engine order with our V2500Select® aftermarket service so we still maintain long-term responsibility for the engines."

Bruce Ashby, Chief Executive Officer of IndiGo added: "We're obviously delighted to be the first airline to benefit from the additional advantages that V2500 SelectOne™ offers. We recognized the opportunity for additional savings this new, more fuel-efficient engine could offer us. We are very focused on minimizing operating costs to ensure that our fares remain competitive and we can retain our position as the largest low-fare airline in India."

IndiGo placed the single largest order for the V2500 in 2005 when it purchased engines for a fleet of 100 A320s, supported by a comprehensive V2500Select® aftermarket agreement. The value of the engine deal alone was $1.7 billion at list prices.

IAE is the clear market leader in India. More than 80 percent of the A320 fleet in service or on order with airlines in India are, or will be, powered by the V2500. Ultimately IAE engines will power more than 250 aircraft in this country.

The 22,000-33,000lb of thrust V2500 is available in seven different thrust settings to power the Airbus A319, A320 and A321 Family of aircraft as well as the Airbus Corporate Jetliner. More than 5,000 V2500 engines are in service or on firm order.

The V2500 SelectOne™ build standard delivers an additional one percent fuel burn advantage, along with a corresponding reduction in CO2 emissions. It will improve time-on-wing by up to 20 percent, and demonstrate compliance with the most stringent CAEP/6 NOx standards.