Air India is expecting to take delivery of 470 aircraft by 2032, said sources in the airline. The narrow body aircraft will have a mix of full-service and low-cost carriers configurations, which will be used on domestic as well as international markets. Widebody aircraft will largely play a role in the airline’s international market expansion.

On Tuesday, Air India made a whopping 470 aircraft order. The order comprises 40 Airbus A350s; 20 Boeing 787s; and 10 Boeing 777-9 widebody aircraft. The list also includes 210 Airbus A320/321 Neos and 190 Boeing 737 MAX narrowbody aircraft. 

Also read: Air India may buy upto 840 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing within a decade: Official

Sources said the list price of the firm order is likely to cost the airline $115 billion. An Air India official said on Thursday that Air India also has an option to order up to 370 more aircraft.

According to a source, despite supply chain crunch faced by OEMs, “six widebody aircraft will be delivered in the second half of 2023. The total order book will be completed by 2032.”

The Tata Group has four airlines under its umbrella, including AirAsia India, Vistara and Air India Express. It has plans to consolidate the airline. 

Flight path

At present, Air India has a fleet size of 113 aircraft. It operates 28 international destinations and approximately 88 domestic destinations. It has an extensive domestic network, and has spread its wings beyond to become a major international airline with network across the US, Canada, the UK, Europe, Far-East, South-East Asia, Australia and the Gulf. 

On the deployment strategy for these aircraft, the source said: “The A350s and 777s will primarily service North America, 787s will be deployed on other long haul and some short-haul destinations.  NBs will be a mix of FSC and LCC configurations and service both domestic and short-haul international. 

According to the current order, the number of narrow body aircraft is more than that of the widebody aircraft. The source said that some of the narrowbody aircraft are being deployed on international routes.

Also read: Air India deal, a huge boost for the aviation sector, say experts

With this, Air India is also likely to face challenges due to its legacy aircraft and malfunctions with engines. The source said that the “when legacy fleet is retired, Air India’s fleet will be no more complex than many other world-leading airlines. Anyway, the number of aircraft in each type is sufficient to deliver the necessary efficiencies and economies of scale. Besides, having a balanced fleet with a combination of airframe and engine suppliers, helps mitigate risk”.

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