AIR INDIA has placed orders with both Boeing and Airbus as part of its fleet modernisation programme.
The Tata Group-owned carrier revealed on Thursday (29) it would purchase 30 additional Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, bringing its total Boeing order book to 250 aircraft. Separately, the airline announced the conversion of 15 existing Airbus A321neo orders to the advanced A321XLR (extra long range) variant.
According to reports, the latest phase in Air India's aggressive transformation since its acquisition by Tata Group in 2022.
Campbell Wilson, Air India's chief executive officer and managing director, said the new Boeing aircraft would help "position Air India as a world-class global carrier", while the Airbus conversion was "in line with our effort to position Air India for the future".
The 15 A321XLR aircraft, expected for delivery between 2029 and 2030, will enable Air India to launch new non-stop international routes with their extended range of up to 4,700 nautical miles (8,700 kilometres) while maintaining the economics of a single-aisle aircraft.
The conversions form part of Air India's massive orders placed with Airbus in 2023, with an addition in 2024, comprising 50 twin-aisle A350 and 300 single-aisle A320 Family aircraft. Of the 300 single-aisle orders, 210 were for A321neo aircraft (of which 15 are now being converted to the XLR variant) and 90 for A320neo aircraft.
Benoit de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus executive vice president of commercial aircraft sales, called Air India's selection of the A321XLR "a significant endorsement of this game-changing aircraft".
The Boeing order provides a boost to the American manufacturer, which on Tuesday (27) reported its first annual profit since 2018. Boeing posted a full-year profit of $1.9 billion (£1.5bn) for 2025, compared with a loss of $11.9bn in 2024, crediting improved quality controls that enabled increased aircraft production.
Currently, Air India has outstanding deliveries of 542 new aircraft—including 344 with Airbus and 250 with Boeing—out of total orders for 600 aircraft. The carrier's international network spans 31 countries across five continents, linking India with major destinations in North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
Air India and Airbus maintain a long-standing partnership, including a 50:50 joint venture operating an advanced pilot training centre in Gurugram, Haryana.
The facility, inaugurated in September last year and equipped with 10 full flight simulators, aims to train more than 5,000 new pilots over the next decade to support India's rapidly expanding commercial aviation sector.
(Agencies)
