Air India on Monday confirmed that it has placed an order for another 100 Airbus aircraft. 

Notably, the new order is in addition to the order for 470 aircraft placed with Airbus and Boeing last year.

As per the airline, the new order comprises 10 widebody A350s and 90 narrowbody A320 family of aircraft, including A321neos. 

In terms of aircraft, Air India is the first Indian airline to operate the Airbus A350, which now offers non-stop services from Delhi to London and New York. 

Meanwhile, the A320 family fleet is the backbone of Air India’s domestic and short-haul operations.

Besides, 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.

“Flight Hour Services-Component”

Furthermore, Air India announced that it has selected Airbus’ “Flight Hour Services-Component” (FHS-C) to support the maintenance requirements of its growing A350 fleet. 

According to the airline, 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. 

Talking about the latest order, Tata Sons and Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said, “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.”

On the aircraft manufacturer’s part, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury 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.”