Airbus Snares Jet Order Valued at $49.5 Billion From U.S. Investor

Airbus SE secured one of the largest aircraft deals in history with a 430-jet agreement with Indigo Partners LLC, a U.S. private equity group with stakes in some of the fastest-growing low-cost carriers on three continents.

The proposed deal, announced Wednesday at the Dubai Airshow, carried a sticker price of almost $49.5 billion before the customary discounts that can reduce the true value by 50% or more, though consolidation in the airline and finance industries is giving buyers more clout. All 430 planes are single-aisle A320neo family planes.

Indigo, based in Phoenix, Az, is led by Bill Franke who has invested in a number of carriers including holdings in Frontier Airlines in the U.S., Hungary's Wizz Air Holdings PLC and Mexico's Volaris. It also backed JetSmart, a new Chile-based carrier that launched this year.

Write to Doug Cameron at doug.cameron@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 15, 2017 02:53 ET (07:53 GMT)