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Air India has signed leases and letters of intent to induct 25 Airbus narrow-body and five Boeing wide-body aircraft to augment its existing fleet in the next 15-odd months, as it looks to ramp-up both domestic and international operations.
This is the first major fleet expansion plan that the airline has announced since the Tata Group took over the management and control of the carrier.
These new aircraft, which will enter service from late 2022, will increase the airline’s fleet by over 25 per cent.
Not counting the ten long-grounded narrow-body and six wide-body aircraft that have been returned to service in recent months, these new aircraft mark the first major fleet expansion since Air India’s acquisition by the Tata Group earlier this year,” Air India said in a statement.
The aircraft being leased include twenty-one Airbus A320neos, four Airbus A321neos and five Boeing B777-200LRs.
“After a long time without significant growth, Air India is delighted to resume expanding its fleet and global footprint. These new aircraft, together with existing aircraft being returned to service, address an immediate need for more capacity and connectivity, and mark a strong step forward,” Campbell Wilson, CEO and Managing Director, Air India, said.
Air India’s narrow-body fleet currently stands at 70 aircraft, of which 54 are in service; and another 16 will “progressively return to service by early 2023”.
The carrier’s wide-body fleet currently stands at 43 aircraft, of which 33 are operational. The rest will return to service by early 2023.
Route expansion
The B777-200LRs (Boeing’s wide-body jetliner) will join the fleet between December 2022 and March 2023.
According to the statement, the Boeing aircraft will be deployed “on routes from Indian metro cities to the United States of America”.
For instance, Mumbai will see the addition of flights to San Francisco and the New York area’s international airports, Newark Liberty and John F Kennedy. Bengaluru will receive three times weekly service to San Francisco.
“These aircraft will result in Air India offering Premium Economy haul flights for the first time,” the statement added.
The four A321 aircraft are expected to be inducted in the fleet in the first quarter of calendar year 2023 (Jan– Mar); while the 21 A320 will be inducted in the second half of 2023.
These flights will be deployed on domestic sectors as well as to short-haul international destinations.
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