 "Campbell Wilson, CEO & MD, Air India")
Air India will induct and operationalise a total of 68 new aircraft this year, which includes a fleet of A350, A320, and B737 jets, the airline’s chief executive officer and managing director, Campbell Wilson, said on Friday.
The carrier will receive a fleet of five widebody A350 aircraft by June this year, and it will also receive 17 A320 and 46 B737 jets through the rest of 2024.
The airline started the commercial operations of its first A350 aircraft on January 22, with a flight from Mumbai to Chennai.
It expects to receive deliveries of new jets at the pace of one aircraft every six days over the course of 2024.
Meanwhile, the Tata Sons-owned airline will begin the process of upgrading 40 B787 and B777 aircraft in its fleet by July this year which will include completely replacing seats and entertainment systems on these planes. Similarly, it will commence the upgradation of interiors across 41 of its A320 narrowbody aircraft.
"Though we still have a long way to go to upgrade the legacy fleet, improve our consistency, close remaining gaps and strengthen fragile processes, the future is now more visible, more tangible, and, I hope, more inspiring. Despite – and no doubt somewhat because of – the good progress we've made in two short years since privatisation, expectations are high, so we need to keep rising to meet them," Wilson said in a message to Air India's employees on the occasion of the second anniversary of the airline’s return to the Tata Group.
Tata Sons assumed control of Air India in January 2022, and the airline is currently operating approximately 3,000 flights per week.
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In 2023, the airline added seven out of 11 leased B777 aircraft, and through the rest of the ongoing year, it expects to add the remaining four aircraft.
Meanwhile, Air India saw its headcount increase by 9,000 employees in 2023, which includes over 1,000 cockpit crew, and 5,000 cabin crew, Wilson informed.
In February last year, Air India placed an order for 470 planes, with 250 from Airbus and 220 from Boeing. This order represents the world’s second-largest single-tranche aircraft purchase. The Boeing order includes 190 B737 MAX, 20 B787s, and 10 B777s. The Airbus order comprises 210 A320 family aircraft and 40 A350 planes.
