It was reported last week that Tata Group-owned Air India has decided to buy its first batch of wide-body A350 aircraft from Airbus.
It was reported last week that Tata Group-owned Air India has decided to buy its first batch of wide-body A350 aircraft from Airbus.
Air India is clearly restructuring itself under the “competent leadership” of the Tata Group and is looking to invest in new aircraft to capture international passenger market share, Airbus’ chief commercial officer said in Doha on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting held in Doha, Christian Scherer was asked whether Air India had finalized A350 aircraft order With Airbus.
“I will not comment on that,” the European aerospace company’s chief commercial officer said in response.
His remarks came after reports last week that Tata Group-owned Air India has decided to buy its first batch of wide-body A350 aircraft from Airbus and the first aircraft is likely to be delivered by March 2023. .
However, it was not immediately clear how many A350 aircraft Air India would buy.
“Air India is clearly restructuring itself under the very capable leadership of Tata and as such, it is very natural that they consider investing in new fleets, new airplanes, if only more so for an Indian carrier. Sovereignty, to gain more market share. In the international market,” Mr. Scherer said.
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Air India has not bought a single aircraft since 2006, when it ordered 111 aircraft – 68 from US-based aircraft maker Boeing and 43 from European aircraft maker Airbus.
A wide-bodied aircraft such as the Airbus A350 has a large fuel tank which allows it to travel long distances such as on Indo-US routes.
Tata group took over control of Air India on January 27 After successfully winning the bid for the airline on October 8 last year.
sources told PTI On June 15, Air India began asking its senior pilots if they would be interested in receiving “conversion training” to operate the A350 aircraft.
Air India pilots are trained to operate Boeing’s wide-body aircraft. Therefore, they undergo “conversion training” to operate Airbus’s A350 aircraft.
According to the Air India website, the airline has a total of 49 wide-body aircraft in its fleet – 18 Boeing B777s, 4 Boeing B747s and 27 Boeing B787s. The carrier also has 79 narrow-bodied aircraft in its fleet.
Sources had said that Air India is procuring A350 aircraft and is likely to get its first A350 aircraft by March 2023.
Since April, airline chairman N. Chandrasekaran – who is also the chairman of the Tata group – has transformed the airline’s top management, bringing in senior and mid-level executives who have worked at other Tata group companies such as Tatas. Steel and Vistara.