Air India plans ‘historic’ next-generation aircraft order

According to a report in Kolkata’s The Telegraph, Air India is in talks with Airbus, Boeing, and engines manufacturers, which could lead to a “historic” order for new-generation aircraft.

Recently, the company had finalised lease agreements for 30 aircraft to be delivered in the next twelve months. The company will take delivery of 21 Airbus A320neo and four A321neo aircraft on a phased basis starting in the first quarter of 2023. In addition, five Boeing 777-200LRs will join the fleet between December this year and March 2023. The wide-body aircraft will be used primarily on routes between India and the United States.

Back to basics and a blueprint for growth

More than half a century after ceding control to the state, the industrial conglomerate Tata Group took over Air India in January 2022. Since then, the new administration has commissioned a growth project aimed at restoring the company to the prominence it once held.

In this context, the possible order would be part of the programme aimed at expanding the network of destinations and increasing the company’s share of the Indian airline market.

Campbell Wilson, Air India’s CEO, said that “beyond these short-term additions”, the company is in talks with the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers to place “a historic order” that would drive growth in the near future.

In this regard, he explained that the company will take a phased approach to its transformation. Over the next six months, the programme will focus on implementing on-board improvements and expanding spare parts availability. Wilson said Air India would begin to grow steadily from 2024 and would then achieve the proposed targets three years later.

See also: Air India puts its last four Boeing 747-400s up for sale