'70 widebodies, 400 single-aisle jets': Air India on mega deal with Boeing, Airbus for 470 planes

'70 widebodies, 400 single-aisle jets': Air India connected mega woody with Boeing, Airbus for 470 planes

Tata Sons-owned Air India connected Tuesday announced that it has signed letters of intent with Airbus and Boeing to get some widebody and single-aisle aircraft.

The bid comprises 40 Airbus A350s, 20 Boeing 787s and 10 Boeing 777-9s widebody aircraft, arsenic good arsenic 210 Airbus A320/321 Neos and 190 Boeing 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft. The A350 craft volition beryllium powered by Rolls-Royce engines, and the B777/787s by engines from GE Aerospace. All single-aisle craft volition beryllium powered by engines from CFM International.

Tata Sons and Air India Chairman, N Chandrasekaran, said: “Air India is connected a ample translation travel crossed safety, lawsuit service, technology, engineering, web and quality resources. Modern, businesslike fleet is simply a cardinal constituent of this transformation. This bid is an important measurement successful realising Air India’s ambition, articulated successful its Vihaan.AI translation program, to connection a satellite people proposition serving planetary travellers with an Indian heart. These caller craft volition modernise the Airline’s fleet and onboard product, and dramatically grow its planetary network. The maturation enabled by this bid volition besides supply unparalleled vocation opportunities for Indian aviation professionals and catalyse accelerated improvement of the Indian aviation ecosystem.”

The archetypal of the caller craft volition participate work successful late-2023, with the bulk to get from mid-2025 onwards. In the interim, Air India has already started taking transportation of 11 leased B777 and 25 A320 craft to accelerate its fleet and web expansion.

The acquisition of caller aircraft, which volition travel with an wholly caller compartment interior, complements Air India’s antecedently announced program to refit its existing widebody B787 and B777 craft with caller seats and inflight amusement systems. 

The archetypal of these refitted craft volition participate work successful mid-2024. The Air India radical presently comprises full-service Air India, arsenic good arsenic 2 low-cost subsidiaries Air India Express and Air Asia India which are successful the process of merging. Its parent, Tata Sons, precocious announced its volition to merge Air India with full-service hose Vistara, a associated task betwixt Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines successful which the erstwhile holds a 51% share. In dependable state, taxable to
regulatory approval, the Group would comprise a azygous full-service airline, Air India, and a azygous lowcost airline, Air India Express.