New Delhi: To supplement its current fleet in the near future, full-service carrier Air India secured lease agreements and letters of intent for 25 Airbus narrow-body and five Boeing wide-body aircraft.
The fleet of the airline will grow by almost 25% when these new aircraft start flying in late 2022. These new planes, which do not include the ten long-grounded narrow-body and six wide-body aircraft that have recently been brought back into service, represent the first significant fleet growth since Tata Group acquired Air India earlier this year, according to the newly privatised airline.
Twenty-one Airbus A320neos, four Airbus A321neos, and five Boeing B777-200LRs are among the planes being leased.
Between December 2022 and March 2023, the B777-200LRs would be added to the fleet and deployed on routes from major Indian cities to the United States, the NIE reported.
Bangalore will acquire a 3x weekly service to San Francisco, while Mumbai will gain flights to both of the New York region's international airports, Newark Liberty and John F Kennedy.
Air India will begin offering premium economy long-haul flights thanks to these aircraft.
In the first quarter of the calendar year 2023, four A321 aircraft are anticipated to join the Air India fleet, while 21 A320 aircraft would be added in the second half of the same year. These aeroplanes will be used for domestic and short-haul international flights.
Campbell Wilson, CEO and Managing Director, Air India, said, "After a long time without significant growth, Air India is delighted to resume expanding its fleet and global footprint. These new aircraft, together with existing aircraft being returned to service, address an immediate need for more capacity and connectivity, and mark a strong step forward."
Wilson noted that these new aircraft are just the start of Air India's ambitious expansion and renewal plans.
Currently, 54 of Air India's 70 narrow-body aircraft are in operation; the other 16 aircraft will gradually enter service by early 2023. Similar to this, 33 of Air India's 43 wide-body aircraft are currently in service. By the start of 2023, the rest will be back in service.