Air India confirms order for ten more A350 and 90 A320neo family aircraft   

Tata Group-owned Air India has officially announced that it is the carrier behind a previously undisclosed order placed with Airbus for 10 A350-900s and 90 single-aisle A320neo family aircraft. The formal announcement, made on December 9, 2024, comes on top of an order for 40 A350s and 210 A320neo family aircraft placed by Air India in 2023.  

The latest aircraft order, which is already included in the Airbus 2024 orderbook figures recently reported by AeroTime, brings Air India’s total orderbook for Airbus aircraft to 344 with six A350-900s having already been delivered to the Delhi-based carrier.

In addition to the order for the additional aircraft that will be used to bolster Air India’s domestic, regional, and international operations, the company said it has also selected Airbus’ Flight Hour Services-Component (FHS-C) for its growing A350 fleet of twin-aisle aircraft. According to the carrier, the FHS-C services package will help optimize the performance and reliability of the A350 fleet.

Airbus Flight Services is described by Airbus as “a comprehensive material and maintenance service based on a contractual fixed hourly-rate payment. FHS-C will provide Air India with fully integrated component services including on-site stock in Delhi. It will also provide the airline access to Airbus mutualized regional spare pools as well as repair and engineering services for a wide range of replaceable parts. FHS-C’s guaranteed service levels and component engineering expertise will allow Air India to benefit from maximized aircraft availability and operating maintenance cost savings.”

Airbus said in a statement that the awarding of the FHS-C contract “confirms Airbus’ position as the largest A350 power-by-the-hour maintenance service provider in the world.” Combined, the new aircraft and FHS-C services orders form crucial elements of Air India’s ongoing fleet modernization program which kicked off when the TATA Group took over ownership of Air India in October 2021.  

Abdul N Quraishi – Abs / Shutterstock“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 in 2023,” said Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Group and Air India. “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.”

“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,” added Guillaume Faury, the Airbus CEO. “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.”

WeChitra / ShutterstockAir India commenced its A350 operations in January 2024. It marked the entry-into-service of this Airbus widebody aircraft in the Indian market and is already flying the aircraft on its flagship long-haul routes to London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) and New York-JFK Airport (JFK). In addition to the six A350-900s it has already received in 2024, the carrier also currently operates 101 A320neos and 14 A321neos, alongside 30 older generation A320 family planes.

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