Air India has gone shopping again and has secured a new large order for Airbus aircraft, this time comprising 10 A350 widebodies and 90 A320 family jets.
The deal is in addition to the order signed in 2023 that included 20 A350-900s, 20 A350-1000s, 140 A321neos and 70 A320neos. Together, the two orders bring the total to 344 aircraft, of which six A350-900s have been delivered.
The Indian carrier, which was bought by the Tata Group from the government, has also selected Airbus’ Flight Hour Services-Component (FHS-C) to be used on its A350 fleet.
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“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,” said Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons and Air India.
“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,” said Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO.
The two companies did not reveal when the new planes will be delivered or which variants they will be.
Air India has invested in updating and expanding its fleet to compete with IndiGo, the country’s largest carrier, for market share. In addition to Airbus, the Tata Group airline has also ordered 190 737 MAX, 20 787 and 10 777X from Boeing.
