Air India mulling further widebody orders with the 777X and A350 in contention

Air India is reportedly considering a new multi-billion dollar order for a significant number of widebody passenger aircraft, with products from both Boeing and Airbus said to be in the running, according to Reuters. The deliberations underway are said to be focused on orders for between 30 and 40 aircraft which would potentially be split between the Airbus A350 and Boeing 777X models. However, one airline source said that any potential order could be for up to 50 aircraft as the airline pushes ahead with its ambitious growth plans.

“Things should become clearer closer to the Paris Air Show in June 2025,” an airline source told Reuters while an official Air India spokesperson said the airline does not comment on speculation. Boeing and Airbus also declined to comment on the rumors.

Any large widebody order would supplement an existing huge order that Air India placed in 2023 for 470 new airframes to expedite growth plans following the airline’s takeover by the privately owned Tata Group. While this order featured models from both the Airbus and Boeing stables, the Indian carrier then went on to order a further 100 Airbus aircraft in December 2024.

Sanil Nath / Wikimedia CommonsThat later order comprised 10 widebody A350 and 90 narrowbody A320 Family aircraft, including A321neos. It took 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. The carrier, which currently also operates both the Boeing 777 and the 787, additionally has 10 Boeing 777Xs and 20 787 Dreamliners on order from Boeing.

Any order for more widebodies would come as the airline battles to regain lost momentum against other international long-haul carriers, as well as a burgeoning competitive domestic landscape where closest rival IndiGo has just announced long haul services serving Amsterdam and Manchester from India starting in May 2025. That carrier also has 30 Airbus A350s on order to permit rapid international expansion, with options for 70 more.

Air India was once considered one of the world’s finest long-haul carriers, but lost its way under state ownership, with numerous local competitors stepping up to take on the beleaguered national carrier. While some could not last the course (Kingfisher Airlines, Jet Airways), others have thrived such as IndiGo, while a number of other airlines such as SpiceJet and Akasa Air are also jostling to compete in the ballooning Indian domestic market.

Eliyahu Yosef Parypa / ShutterstockAging aircraft to be retained

According to Reuters, Air India’s CEO Campbell Wilson said earlier in March 2025  that global aircraft shortages will persist for at least four years as supplies of engines and first and business class seats as well as some fuselage elements remain under pressure. This will mean that Air India will be forced to retain older aircraft for longer as well as extending the Tata Group’s five-year transformation plan for Air India.

Air IndiaOn March 17, 2025, AeroTime reported that Air India had completed the first retrofitting of one of its Airbus A320neo aircraft. The aircraft is the first of the 27 narrowbody aircraft inherited at the time of takeover by Tata Group that was elected to undergo a complete retrofit to the new Air India branding and standards. The aircraft has been upgraded with new seats, carpets, curtains, a three-class cabin configuration, along with a fresh coat of paint featuring the new Air India livery.

The refurbishment and updating of its older aircraft is part of the airline’s $400-million retrofit program which will involve  67 legacy aircraft including 27 narrowbody and 40 widebody planes as part of the carrier’s plan to retain older aircraft for longer.

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