Air India, India’s leading airline group and part of the Tata Sons conglomerate, announced that it had signed letters of intent with Airbus and Boeing to acquire both widebody and single-aisle aircraft.
The order comprises 40 Airbus A350s, 20 Boeing 787s, 10 Boeing 777-9s widebody aircraft, 210 Airbus A320/321 Neos, and 190 Boeing 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft. The A350 aircraft will be
powered by Rolls-Royce engines and the B777/787s by engines from GE Aerospace. All single-aisle
aircraft will be powered by engines from CFM International.
Commenting on the occasion, Tata Sons and Air India Chairman, Mr. N Chandrasekaran, said:
“Air India is on a large transformation journey across safety, customer service, technology,
engineering, network, and human resources. Modern, efficient fleet is a fundamental component of
this transformation. This order is an important step in realizing Air India’s ambition, articulated in its
Vihaan.AI transformation program to offer a world-class proposition serving global travelers with an
Indian heart. These new aircraft will modernize the Airline’s fleet and onboard products and
dramatically expand its global network. The growth enabled by this order will also provide
unparalleled career opportunities for Indian aviation professionals and catalyze accelerated
development of the Indian aviation ecosystem.”
The first of the new aircraft will enter service in late-2023, with the bulk to arrive from mid-2025
onwards. In the interim, Air India has already started taking delivery of 11 leased B777 and 25 A320
aircraft to accelerate its fleet and network expansion.
The acquisition of new aircraft, which will come with an entirely new cabin interior, complements Air
India’s previously announced plan to refit its existing widebody B787 and B777 aircraft with new seats
and inflight entertainment systems. The first of these refitted aircraft will enter service in mid-2024.
The Air India group currently comprises full-service Air India, as well as two low-cost subsidiaries Air
India Express and Air Asia India are in the process of merging. Its parent, Tata Sons, recently
announced its intention to merge Air India with full-service airline Vistara, a joint venture between
Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, in which the former holds a 51% share. In steady state, subject to
regulatory approval, the Group would comprise a single full-service airline, Air India, and a single low-cost airline, Air India Express.