Air India close to A350-order
Bloomberg is reporting that Air India is closing in on a potential A350-order and has started internal polling with its pilots to gauge interest for conversion training and when. According to Bloomberg, an order could be for at least 20 aircraft, while various Indian newspapers are reporting that the order could be for as much as up to 50 A350s. The internal documents seen, shows that the airline wants to introduce the first A350s in 2023.
Next to a widebody-order, Air India is also in discussions with Airbus and Boeing for a narrowbody order to renew it's fleet, which could be for up to 100 A320neo-family or B737MAX-family aircraft.
The fleet-renewal plan is part of the revival of Air India, led by the new owner Tata Group. The Group plans to bring Air India back to profitability in the next few years. With the acquisition of Air India, Tata Group owns four different airlines in India, which also include Air India Express, AirAsia India and Vistara. It's expected that Tata Group will consolidate these airlines in the coming years, starting with merging Air India Express and AirAsia India.
Today, Air India's fleet consists of eighteen A319s, nine A320s, 27 A320neos, fourteen A321s, three B777-200LRs, thirteen B777-300ERs and 27 B787-8s.
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