Air India’s mega Airbus deal grows bigger with new order for 100 planes

Air India has placed an order for 100 additional Airbus aircraft, comprising 10 widebody A350 and 90 narrowbody A320 family aircraft, the airline announced on Monday. The latest order builds on Air India’s record-breaking firm orders of 470 aircraft with Airbus and Boeing last year, cementing its aggressive fleet expansion strategy under Tata Group ownership.

The latest order takes the total number of Airbus aircraft ordered by Air India in 2023 to 350, up from the previously announced 250, including 40 A350s and 210 A320 family aircraft.

Air India has also opted for Airbus’ Flight Hour Services-Component (FHS-C) for maintenance support of its expanding A350 fleet.

"The new materials & maintenance contract will help Air India to optimise the reliability and performance of its A350 fleet, with comprehensive engineering services and integrated component services including on-site stock at Delhi provided by Airbus," the airline said in a statement.

Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons and Air India, cited India’s rapid passenger growth, improving infrastructure and an aspirational young population increasingly going global as 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 added.

Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO, welcomed the order, saying, “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. This additional order strengthens our partnership and supports the success of Air India’s 'Vihaan.AI' transformation plan under Tata’s vision and leadership.”

With this order, Air India now has a total of 344 Airbus aircraft in its pipeline, of which six A350s have already been delivered. These are being used for ultra-long-haul non-stop routes from Delhi to London and New York.