There is encouraging news for anyone who flies regularly. Air India Group is working to bring 50 to 60 new aircraft into its fleet over the coming 18 months. According to a senior company executive, the airline's overhaul is steadily moving in its intended direction, even though the aviation business has had to weather a series of shocks that were impossible to see coming. Nipun Aggarwal, Air India's Chief Commercial Officer and the Chairman of Air India Express, said the company has picked up several important lessons over the past few years.
Aggarwal described the entire turnaround as deeply complex and full of hurdles. The loss-making state carrier was taken over by the Tata Group in January 2022. He pointed to supply chain bottlenecks, airspace-related problems, the constant swing in fuel prices and geopolitical events around the world as the many forces that made the industry's path difficult. Despite all of these obstacles, he said, the company is advancing according to its blueprint.
An Order Book of 600 Jets, Under 10 Percent Delivered
Aggarwal revealed that Air India Group is sitting on an order for roughly 600 aircraft, of which fewer than 10 percent have actually been delivered so far. He expects the pace of deliveries to accelerate in the years ahead. For the next seven to eight years, the group anticipates receiving somewhere between 50 and 60 new aircraft annually. Of these, 10 to 15 will be wide-body jets, while 45 to 50 will be smaller aircraft. He acknowledged that ageing planes and dated cabins had created operational difficulties, but said the situation is now improving. The work of modernising the fleet and upgrading the aircraft has picked up considerable speed.
Moving Toward a Uniform Fleet
Air India Express is working to convert all of its aircraft into a single, uniform fleet by March next year. Separately, the refurbishment of Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets is expected to wrap up by the middle of next year, while the Boeing 777 aircraft are likely to take longer. Aggarwal said deliveries of the Boeing Max-8 jets are running on schedule, and the Max-10 aircraft are expected to start arriving once their certification process is complete.
Rebuilding the Network
The crisis in West Asia and the pressure from fuel prices had forced Air India to trim some of its flights. The airline is now working from the second half of this year to strengthen its network once again. It says that within the next few months it will restore its services to pre-war levels. Alongside this, the company is investing heavily in training for flight crew and airport staff, in new service procedures and in technology systems, all aimed at making the passenger experience better.
