Air India orders 100 additional Airbus aircraft

Air India said on Monday that it has placed an order to purchase 100 additional Airbus aircraft, comprising 10 widebody A350 and 90 narrowbody A320 family aircraft (including A321neo). The 100 new aircraft are in addition to the firm orders of 470 aircraft that Air India had placed with Airbus and Boeing last year, the airline said in a press release. The Tata group airline also said it has tied up with Airbus for component and maintenance support for its A350 fleet. 

The latest order takes the total number of aircraft that Air India ordered with Airbus from 250 to 350 aircraft. In 2023, Air India ordered 40 A350 and 210 A320 family aircraft. In the same year, it also placed orders for 220 widebody and narrowbody Boeing aircraft, 185 of which are yet to be delivered.

Air India also said it has selected Airbus’ Flight Hour Services-Component (FHS-C) to support the maintenance requirements of its growing A350 fleet.

The new materials and maintenance contract will help Air India optimise the reliability and performance of its A350 fleet, withcomprehensive engineering services and integrated component services including on-site stock at Delhi provided by Airbus. 

“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 ordersof the 470 aircraft placed last year," said Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons and Air India. 

These additional 100 Airbus aircraft will help in positioning Air India on the path to greater growth and contributing to "our mission of building Air India into a world-class airline that connects India to every corner of the world", added Chandrasekaran.  

“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, CEO, Airbus. 

With the order for 100 additional aircraft, Air India currently has a total of 344 new aircraft incoming from Airbus.

Air India said that powered by CFM LEAP 1-A engines, the A320 family fleet is a backbone of its domestic and short-haul operations.

The Air India group operates full-service global airline Air India and low-cost regional carrier Air India Express.