Indigo Partners
{{Short description|American private equity firm}}
{{about|the private equity firm|the Indian low-cost carrier|IndiGo}}
{{Update|date=April 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Indigo Partners
| logo = Indigo-blue-logo.jpg
| type = Private equity firm
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| founder = Star Alliance
| defunct =
| hq_location_city = Phoenix, Arizona
| hq_location_country = United States
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| website = {{URL|www.indigohq.com}}
}}
Indigo Partners, LLC{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=10092110|title=Stocks|website=Bloomberg News |date=August 11, 2023 }} is an American private equity firm which has a controlling interest in the American Frontier Airlines and Chilean low-cost JetSmart, as well as holding stakes in Mexican budget airline Volaris and European (Hungarian) low-cost carrier Wizz Air. The company had a partnership with Enerjet when it launched the now defunct Canadian ultra-low-cost carrier Lynx Air.
Indigo Partners was founded by Bill Franke and has set up a number of ultra-low-cost airlines around the world. It is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.{{cite web|title=William A. Franke Ph.D.|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=69568&privcapId=698335|website=Bloomberg|accessdate=4 April 2017}}
History
At the November 2017 Dubai Air Show, Indigo Partners signed a memorandum of understanding for 430 Airbus Aircraft: 273 A320neos and 157 A321neos for $49.5 billion at list prices: 146 aircraft will go to Wizz Air, 134 to Frontier Airlines, 80 to Volaris and 70 to JetSmart.{{Cite news |last=Stephen Trimble |date=November 15, 2017 |title=Indigo Partners signs MoU for 430 A320neos |work=Flightglobal |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/dubai-indigo-partners-signs-mou-for-430-a320neos-443308/}} Wizz will get 72 A320neo and 74 A321neo, Frontier 100 A320neo and 34 A321neo, Volaris 46 A320neo and 34 A321neo and JetSmart 56 A320neo and 14 A321neo.{{Cite news |last=Julie Johnsson, Mary Schlangenstein, and Benjamin D Katz |date=November 15, 2017 |title=Airbus Seals $50 Billion Jet Deal to Outdo Boeing in Dubai |agency=Bloomberg |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-15/airbus-is-said-to-near-deal-for-430-jets-with-indigo-partners}}
Deliveries will begin in 2021, mostly in 2025-26 from Toulouse, France and Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
Wizz Air previously ordered 110 A321neos at the 2015 Paris Airshow and its fleet will grow to 300 aircraft by 2025.
Frontier received its first Airbus from Mobile in 2018 and its fleet will triple to 200, flying 50 million passengers in 2026.{{Cite news|last=Tony Osborne|date=November 15, 2017|title=Massive Narrowbody Aircraft Orders Rattle Dubai|work=Aviation Week Network|url=http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/massive-narrowbody-aircraft-orders-rattle-dubai}}
On November 29, 2018, Indigo Partners reached a preliminary agreement to buy Icelandic low-cost carrier WOW Air after Icelandair Group dropped its takeover.{{Cite news|last=Edward Russell|date=November 29, 2018|title=Indigo reaches tentative agreement to buy Wow Air|work=Flightglobal|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/indigo-reaches-tentative-agreement-to-buy-wow-air-454034/}} However, on March 22, 2019, it was announced that Indigo Partners withdrew its offer to buy Wow Air.{{Cite web|last=Ballah|first=Brett|date=March 22, 2019|title=WOW Air-Indigo talks collapse, urgent talks begin with Icelandair|url=https://westernaviationnews.com/2019/03/22/wow-air-indigo-talks-collapse-urgent-talks-begin-with-icelandair/|access-date=March 25, 2019|website=Western Aviation News|language=en|archive-date=March 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325151214/https://westernaviationnews.com/2019/03/22/wow-air-indigo-talks-collapse-urgent-talks-begin-with-icelandair/|url-status=dead}}
On November 14, 2021, Indigo Partners ordered 255 A321s.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/indigo-partners-airlines-order-255-airbus-a321-jets-2021-11-14/|website=Reuters|agency=Reuters|title=Indigo Partners spearheads order for 255 Airbus jets|date=November 14, 2021|last1=Hepher|first1=Tim|last2=Creidi|first2=Imad}}
In 2022, Indigo Partners attempted to merge its majority-owned Frontier subsidiary with fellow US-based low cost carrier Spirit Airlines.{{Cite web |last1=LeBeau|first1=Phil|last2=Josephs |first2=Leslie |date=2022-02-07 |title=Frontier and Spirit to merge, creating fifth-largest airline in U.S. in $6.6 billion deal |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/07/frontier-and-spirit-to-merge-creating-5th-largest-airline-in-us.html |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=CNBC |language=en}}[https://www.aviacionline.com/2022/06/spirit-and-frontier-modify-their-initial-agreement-and-expect-to-close-the-transaction-soon/ Spirit and Frontier Airlines modify their initial agreement and expect to close the transaction soon]Aviacionline The planned merger with Spirit fell apart as JetBlue offered an all-cash offer of $3.7 billion which was higher than Frontier's offer of more than $2.6 billion in stock and cash.{{cite web |last1=Koenig |first1=David |date=2022-07-27 |title=With Frontier deal dead, Spirit ponders sale to JetBlue |url=https://apnews.com/article/travel-airlines-de405202f3e64e0bbbdd798b600d7a58 |website=AP News |publisher=Associated Press}}
Fleet
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Airline !Airplane !In !Orders !Country |
| Frontier Airlines
|rowspan=2|Airbus A320 Family |121 |219 |United States |
| JetSmart
|19 |92 |Chile |
| Lynx Air
|Boeing 737 MAX |— |29 |Canada |
| Volaris
|rowspan=2|Airbus A320 Family |112 |104 |Mexico |
| rowspan="2"|Wizz Air
|176 |379 |rowspan="2"|Hungary |
| Airbus A330
|1 |— |
Further reading
- {{Cite book |last1=Gross |first1=Sven |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n4Aq4F3wRY0C&q=%22indigo+partners%22&pg=PA21 |title=Handbook of Low Cost Airlines: Strategies, Business Processes and Market Environment |last2=Schröder |first2=Alexander |date=2007 |publisher=Erich Schmidt Verlag GmbH & Co KG |isbn=9783503100811 |language=en}}