Air India signs Letters of Intent with Boeing, Airbus to acquire modern fleet

New Delhi [India], February 14 : Air India, India's flag carrier and part of the Tata Sons conglomerate, today announced that it had signed letters of intent with Airbus and Boeing to acquire both widebody and single-aisle aircraft.
According to an official release, the order comprises 40 Airbus A350s, 20 Boeing 787s and 10 Boeing 777-9s widebody aircraft, as well as 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. Engines from CFM International will power all single-aisle aircraft.
Commenting on the occasion, Tata Sons and Air India Chairman, N Chandrasekaran, said
"Air India is on a large transformation journey across safety, customer service, technology,
engineering, network and human resources. A modern, efficient fleet is a fundamental component of this transformation. This order is an important step in realising Air India's ambition, articulated in its Vihaan."
He said that the AI transformation program offers a world-class proposition serving global travellers with an Indian heart. These new aircraft will modernise 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 catalyse accelerated development of the Indian aviation ecosystem.
According to an official release, 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, as per an official release.
The Air India group currently comprises full-service Air India, as well as two low-cost subsidiaries Air India Express and Air Asia India which 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 pc share.
In a 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.
Air India Chief Executive Office Campbell Wilson said, "Refreshing our fleet and positioning ourselves for growth is a key part of Vihaan.AI. And with this historic order, today will be remembered as a major milestone in the long, proud history of Air India, and in the journey of restoring this airline to greatness."
"We still have a long road and much hard work ahead of us - not least to staff up for, and then fill, these new aircraft. But with this commitment to aircraft, this commitment to growth and this commitment to the future, we can now forge ahead with even greater confidence," Campbell Wilson added.