Air India
Air India to expand fleet ahead of holiday season: Report
Mumbai: Tata Group-owned Air India is on an expansion spree as it plans to induct several aircraft into the airline along with Air India Express by 2023, according to media reports.
It is in the final stages to get a total of 200 narrowbody and widebody jets from Airbus and Boeing. But the deliveries would start only by the end of 2024, Economic Times reported.
The company is planning to acquire six Boeing 777-2000 aircraft and 25 Airbus A320 Neo aircraft on lease by the first quarter of 2023 to meet the short-term requirements, the report said.
Boeing 777 aircraft will be leased from Delta Airlines, which had phased out the 18 777 aircraft after the Covid-19 pandemic. It is expected to join Air India's fleet by October 2022.
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The ET report further stated that these planes will be used to increase the flight services on the India-US route as it is one of the most profitable routes, the report said, adding that because of their long range, the company will be able to connect South Indian cities like Hyderabad and Bengaluru to US west coast and Canada.
Airbus A320 Neo will join Air India's fleet by 2023 and it will be used primarily for domestic routes. It will be leased from the secondary market.
Air India Express will take five Boeing 737 jets from its sister company, Vistara.
It operates mainly in the middle-east. "The airline has decided for a nominal increase in capacity expansion, keeping in mind the upcoming heavy traffic season to Dubai and Qatar due to the FIFA World Cup," ET quoted a person aware of the matter as saying.
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