Air India has confirmed the addition of 10 A350 widebody aircraft and 90 single-aisle A320 Family jets to its fleet. This order, part of Airbus’ 2024 orderbook, complements the airline’s previous order of 40 A350s and 210 A320 Family aircraft placed in 2023. With these latest additions of 100 Airbus aircraft, Air India’s total order for Airbus aircraft now stands at 344, solidifying its ambitious fleet expansion goals.
Air India has already received six A350-900 aircraft, with nine more on the way. The six delivered units were originally part of an Aeroflot order, while the new A350 orders signal the airline’s strategy to bolster its capacity and long-haul operations.
Partnership with Airbus for Maintenance Services
In addition to the aircraft order, Air India has selected Airbus’ Flight Hour Services-Component (FHS-C) to support its growing A350 fleet. The FHS-C package aims to improve performance and reliability, aligning with Air India’s efforts to maintain operational excellence. Airbus remains the largest provider of A350 power-by-the-hour maintenance services globally.
Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO, expressed satisfaction with the continued collaboration, stating, “Having personally witnessed the formidable growth of the Indian aviation sector in recent months, I am glad to see Air India renew its trust in Airbus with this additional order for both our A320 Family and A350 aircraft. Through this continued partnership, we are committed to supporting the success of Air India’s ‘Vihaan.AI’ transformation plan under Tata’s vision and leadership.”
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons and Air India, highlighted the reasoning behind the airline’s fleet expansion. “With India’s passenger growth outpacing the rest of the world, its significantly improving infrastructure and an aspirational young population increasingly going global, we see a clear case for Air India to expand its future fleet beyond the firm orders of the 470 aircraft placed last year. These additional 100 Airbus aircraft will help to position Air India on the path to greater growth and contribute to our mission of building Air India into a world-class airline that connects India to every corner of the world,” he said.
Air India commenced operations with the A350 widebody in January 2024, marking the first deployment of this Airbus model in India. The ongoing fleet modernization, which includes advanced aircraft and maintenance partnerships, reflects the airline’s commitment to delivering enhanced passenger experiences and expanding its global reach.
