Air India fleet
As of April 2023[update], Air India operates a fleet of both narrowbody and widebody aircraft with a fleet composed of Airbus A319, A320, A320neo, A321, A321neo as well as Boeing 777 and Boeing 787, making for a total of 119 aircraft.[1]
Current fleet
As of April 2023[update], Air India operates the following aircraft:[2]
Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
F | C | W | Y | Total | Refs | ||||
Airbus A319-100 | 18 | — | — | 8 | — | 114 | 122 | [3] | |
— | 144 | 144 | [4] | ||||||
Airbus A320-200 | 9 | — | — | 12 | — | 138 | 150 | [5] | |
— | 168 | 168 | |||||||
Airbus A320neo | 27 | 161 | — | 12 | — | 150 | 162 | One aircraft painted in Star Alliance livery. | |
Airbus A321-200 | 14 | — | — | 12 | — | 170 | 182 | [6] | |
Airbus A321neo | 4 | 70 | TBA | ||||||
Airbus A350-900 | — | 6 | — | 28 | 24 | 264 | 316 | Deliveries from late 2023.[7] Originally ordered by Aeroflot.[8] | |
Airbus A350-1000 | — | 34 | TBA | Deliveries from 2025.[9][10] Order with 10 options.[11] | |||||
Boeing 737 MAX 8 | — | 190 | Order with 50 options.[12][13] | ||||||
Boeing 737 MAX 10 | — | ||||||||
Boeing 777-200LR | 3 | — | 8 | 35 | — | 195 | 238 | [14] | To be retired by the end of march 2024[15] |
4 | 1 | — | 28 | 48 | 212 | 288 | Leased with Delta One and Comfort+ product.[16] | ||
Boeing 777-300ER | 13 | — | 4 | 35 | — | 303 | 342 | [17] | To be refurbished with new interiors consisting of Premium Economy & onboard wifi from mid 2024.[18][19] One painted in Star Alliance livery. One painted in Celebrating India livery. |
— | 6 | 8 | 40 | — | 280 | 328 | 6 ex-Etihad Airways aircraft to be leased.[20][21] | ||
Boeing 777-9 | — | 10 | TBA | [13] | |||||
Boeing 787-8 | 27 | — | — | 18 | — | 238 | 256 | [22] | To be refurbished with new interiors consisting of Premium Economy & onboard wifi from mid 2024. [19][23] One painted in Star Alliance livery. |
Boeing 787-9 | — | 20 | TBA | Deliveries from 2025 Order with 20 options.[13] | |||||
Total | 119 | 498 |
Former fleet
Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Replacement | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Airbus A300B4-100 | 1 | 1994 | 1994 | Airbus A321 | |
Airbus A300B4-200 | 4 | 1982 | 2002 | Airbus A321 | |
Airbus A310-300 | 24 | 1986 | 2016 | Boeing 787-8 | |
4 | Converted into freighters and used by Air India Cargo | ||||
Airbus A319-100 | 1 | 2009 | 2021 | Airbus A320neo | Transferred to DRDO as a testbed aircraft.[25] |
Airbus A321-200 | 6 | 2007 | 2022 | Airbus A321neo | Six to be converted into AEW&C for the Indian Air Force.[25] |
Airbus A330-200 | 2 | 2008 | 2015 | Boeing 787-8 | Leased |
Boeing 707-320B | 3 | 1962 | 1989 | Boeing 747-200 | |
Boeing 707-320C | 4 | 1964 | 1990 | Boeing 747-200 | |
Boeing 707-420 | 4 | 1960 | 1984 | Boeing 747-200 | |
1 | 1966 | None | Crashed as flight AI101 | ||
1 | 1982 | Crashed as flight AI403 | |||
Boeing 737-200 | 5 | 2007 | 2011 | Airbus A320 | |
Boeing 747-100 | 2 | 1970 | 1971 | Boeing 747-200B | |
Boeing 747-200B | 10 | 1971 | 2005 | Boeing 747-400 | |
1 | 1978 | None | Crashed as flight AI855 | ||
1 | 1985 | Destroyed by a bomb as flight AI182 | |||
Boeing 747-200C | 1 | 1971 | 2005 | Boeing 747-400 | |
Boeing 747-300 | 1 | 2005 | 2007 | Boeing 777-300ER | |
Boeing 747-300M | 2 | 1988 | 2008 | Boeing 777-300ER | |
Boeing 747-400M | 1 | 2005 | 2008 | Boeing 777-300ER | |
Boeing 747-400 | 8 | 1993 | 2022 | None | Deregistered in April 2022.[26][27][28] |
Boeing 757-200 | 1 | 2007 | 2007 | None | Leased from Golden International Airlines |
Boeing 767-300ER | 2 | 2006 | 2008 | None | Leased from Flyglobespan |
1 | 2007 | 2007 | Leased from EuroAtlantic Airways | ||
Boeing 777-200 | 1 | 2006 | 2010 | Boeing 777-300ER | |
Boeing 777-200ER | 3 | 2005 | 2011 | Boeing 777-300ER | |
Boeing 777-200LR | 5 | 2008 | 2013 | None | Sold to Etihad Airways due to Financial Crunch |
De Havilland Comet | Unknown | 1950s | 1950s | None | |
De Havilland Dragon Rapide | Unknown | 1930s | 1940s | None | |
De Havilland Fox Moth | Unknown | 1930s | 1930s | None | |
De Havilland Puss Moth | Unknown | 1929 | 1932 | None | |
Douglas DC-2 | Unknown | 1934 | 1940 | Douglas DC-3 | |
Douglas DC-3 | Unknown | 1936 | 1970s | Douglas DC-4 | |
Douglas DC-4 | Unknown | 1948 | Unknown | None | |
Douglas DC-8-60F | Unknown | 1977 | 1988 | Boeing 747-200 | |
Douglas DC-8-70F | Unknown | 1983 | 1995 | Boeing 747-200 | |
Ilyushin Il-62M | Unknown | 1989 | 1990 | Airbus A310 | |
Lockheed L-1011 TriStar | 5 | 1995 | 1996 | Boeing 747-400 | |
Lockheed L-749 Constellation | Unknown | 1951 | 1972 | None | |
1 | 1950 | Crashed as flight AI245 | |||
1 | 1955 | Destroyed by a bomb as flight AI300 | |||
Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation | Unknown | 1956 | 1970s | None | |
Percival Petrel | Unknown | 1930s | 1930s | None | |
Vickers VC.1 Viking | Unknown | 1947 | 1960s | none | |
Waco YQC-6 | Unknown | 1939 | Unknown | None |
Fleet development
Fleet information
In 1932, Air India started operations with a de Havilland Puss Moth. On 21 February 1960, it inducted its first Boeing 707-420 named Gauri Shankar (registered VT-DJJ), thereby becoming the first Asian airline to induct a jet aircraft in its fleet and on 4 August 1993, Air India took the delivery of its first Boeing 747-400 named Konark (registered VT-ESM). Apart from Boeing aircraft, Air India also operates a wide range of Airbus aircraft. In 1989, Indian Airlines introduced the Airbus A320-200 aircraft, which Air India now uses to operate both domestic and international short-haul flights. In 2005, Indian Airlines introduced smaller A319s, which are now used mainly on domestic and regional routes. After the merger in 2007, Air India inducted the biggest member of the A320 family, the A321, to operate mainly on international short-haul and medium-haul routes. At the same time, Air India leased Airbus A330s to operate on medium-long haul international routes while awaiting deliveries of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Currently, Air India has many narrowbody aircraft for domestic destinations like A320, A321 and A320neo. Air India has also many widebody aircraft like Boeing 777-200LR, Boeing 777-300ER, and Boeing 787-8 mainly for international destinations. Air India Express, a subsidiary of Air India has a fleet of 25 Boeing 737-800. On 17 June 2019, Air India grounded its last Airbus A320 classic fleet, which flew its last flight from Delhi to Mumbai.[citation needed]
Fleet restructuring
As part of a financial restructuring, Air India sold five of its eight Boeing 777-200LR aircraft to Etihad Airways in December 2013. According to the airline, plans for introducing ultra-long flights with service to Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles were cancelled due to factors like high fuel prices and weak demand. Air India eventually resumed flights to San Francisco alongside other international destinations. On 24 April 2014, Air India issued a tender for leasing 14 Airbus A320 aircraft for up to six years, to strengthen its domestic network. Air India has purchased many Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners to strengthen international operations.
Post-privatization
In December 2022, a day after the announcement of the merger of Air India and Vistara, it was reported that Tata Sons are set to buy around 500 jets from Airbus and Boeing which would cost around US$100 billion. The order includes around 400 narrow-body aircraft and around 100 wide-body aircraft including Airbus A350, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787. After the finalisation of this deal, it would be the biggest ever deal at once by a single airline, surpassing the deal of 460 jets by American Airlines with Airbus and Boeing.[29][30]
On 14th February 2023, Air India announced an order for 470 aircraft with Airbus and Boeing. The order consists of 210 A320neo family aircraft, 40 A350, 190 737 MAX, 20 787-9 and 10 777-9 aircraft with deliveries beginning late 2023.[31]
On 26th March 2023, Air India took delivery of their first Airbus A321neo.[32]
References
- ^ "Fleet Details". Air India. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ^ a b "Air India Fleet Details and History". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ "Airbus 319 (Mixed Configuration)". Air India. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022.
- ^ "Airbus 319 (Single Configuration)". Air India. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022.
- ^ "A320-214 CEO (Mixed configuration)". Air India. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022.
- ^ "Air India Airbus A321". Air India. 30 August 2019. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022.
- ^ "Tata-Owned Air India To Induct 30 Planes Over Next 15 Months". NDTV. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ "Air India A350 order will include early deliveries of former Aeroflot -900s". FlightGlobal. 15 February 2023.
- ^ "Tata-owned Air India to acquire 250 Airbus aircraft". Airbus (Press release). 14 February 2023.
- ^ Bailey, Joanna (14 February 2023). "Why The Airbus A350 Will Be The Flagship Of Air India's Fleet". Simple Flying.
- ^ "Rolls-Royce announces biggest ever order of Trent XWB-97 engines as Air India signs MOU for 68 (plus 20 options) and 12 Trent XWB-84 engines". Rolls Royce (Press release). 14 February 2023.
- ^ Schroeder, Robert. "Boeing to sell Air India more than 200 planes, Biden announces". MarketWatch. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ a b c "Air India Selects Up to 290 Boeing Jets to Serve Its Strategy for Sustainable Growth". Boeing (Press release). 14 February 2023.
- ^ "Air India Boeing 777-200LR". Air India. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022.
- ^ "Onboard WiFi & brand new interiors on Air India planes soon". The Times of India. 29 May 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ "Tata-Owned Air India To Induct 30 Planes Over Next 15 Months". NDTV. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ "Air India Boeing 777-300ER (77W)". Air India. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022.
- ^ "Air India plans to refurbish legacy wide-body fleet". 8 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Onboard WiFi & brand new interiors on Air India planes soon". The Times of India. 29 May 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ "Air India leases 6 more aircraft to enhance operations: Induction of aircraft in the first half of 2023, 36 aircraft leased so far to boost connectivity on domestic, international routes" (Document). Air India. 7 December 2022.
{{cite document}}
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ignored (help) - ^ "OE-IUG ALTAVAIR AIRFINANCE BOEING 777-300ER". planespotters.net.
- ^ "Air India B787-8 Configuration" (PDF).
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Onboard WiFi & brand new interiors on Air India planes soon". The Times of India. 29 May 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ^ "Air India : The story of the aircraft". Airwhiners.net. Archived from the original on 11 August 2004. Retrieved 26 July 2004.[self-published source]
- ^ a b "Gov't to convert six Air India jets for AEW&C missions". Ch-Aviation. 19 December 2020.
- ^ Naik, Yogesh (29 April 2022). "End of an era as 4 Air India Boeing 747s are deregistered". The Indian Express. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ simpleflying.com - End Of The Road: Air India’s Boeing 747s Deregistered By Regulator 28 April 2022
- ^ "Air India Boeing 747-437". Star Alliance. 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ "Tata's Air India to buy Airbus, Boeing 500 jets in $100+ billion deal: Report". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- ^ "Air India set to order around 500 jets, says aircraft lessors". Economic Times. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- ^ "Air India Announces Order for 470 Aircraft". Retrieved 14 February 2023.
- ^ "Air India Takes Delivery of First & New Airbus A321neo named after Ratan Tata | Exclusive". Aviation A2Z. 26 March 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2023.