Air India to add 100 more aircraft to its record 2023 Airbus order

Tata Group-owned Air India has placed an order to purchase 100 more Airbus aircraft, comprising 10 widebody A350 and 90 narrowbody A320 Family aircraft, including A321neo. These 100 new aircraft are in addition to the orders of 470 aircraft that Air India had placed with Airbus and Boeing last year as part of its $70 billion fleet expansion programme.

The latest order takes the total number of aircraft that Air India ordered with Airbus in 2023 from 250 aircraft, comprising 40 A350 and 210 A320 Family aircraft, to 350.

Air India also announced it has selected Airbus’ flight hour services component (FHS-C) to support the maintenance requirements of its growing A350 fleet. The company says the new materials and 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.

“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,” says Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman, Tata Sons and Air India.

Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO, said: "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. Through this continued partnership, we are committed to supporting the success of Air India's "Vihaan.AI" transformation plan under Tata's vision and leadership.”

With the current order, Air India has a total of 344 new aircraft incoming from Airbus, having received six A350s so far. Air India in 2023 had also placed orders for 220 widebody and narrowbody aircraft with Boeing, of which 185 aircraft remain to be delivered.

Air India also operates the Airbus A350, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, which flies non-stop from Delhi to London and New York. Air India's A320 Family fleet, powered by CFM LEAP 1-A engines, operates across its domestic and short-haul operations.

In November, Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced an additional ₹3,194 crore investment in Tata Group-owned Air India after the completion of the merger in November 2024 by subscribing to new Air India shares. Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines with the Indian conglomerate holding the majority 51% stake, operated its final flight on November 11, 2024.