air india
Tata Group-owned Air India is preparing for a major expansion of its fleet in the coming 18 months. The company has announced that during this period 50 to 60 new aircraft will be included in its fleet. Air India says that despite many global challenges, its ambitious transformation plan is moving in the right direction and passengers will get better services in the coming years.
Big order of 600 aircraft, delivery will be fast
Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer of Air India and Chairman of Air India Express, said that the company has ordered about 600 aircraft. However, so far less than 10 percent of these aircraft have been delivered. He said that 50 to 60 new aircraft are expected to be received every year for the next seven to eight years. These will include 10 to 15 wide-body (large) aircraft and 45 to 50 narrow-body (small) aircraft.
Airline coming out of old challenges
According to Nipun Aggarwal, in the last few years, Air India had to face many challenges like supply chain disruptions, rising fuel prices, airspace related problems and geopolitical tensions. Apart from this, old aircraft and old cabins also became hindrance in operations. However, now the work of modernization of the fleet and upgrading of aircraft is going on at a fast pace.
Passengers will get better service
Air India Express is working on a plan to convert its entire fleet into a similar aircraft model by March next year. At the same time, the upgrade of Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft is expected to be completed by the middle of next year. The company also said that the delivery of Boeing Max-8 aircraft is continuing on schedule, while the delivery of Max-10 aircraft will start after the completion of the certification process.
Focus on network expansion and service improvement
Due to tension in West Asia and increase in fuel prices, Air India had temporarily cut some flights. The company is now strengthening its network again from the second half of this year and aims to restore services to pre-war levels in the coming months. Additionally, there is continued investment in crew and airport staff training, new service processes and modern technology to improve the passenger experience. The company says that better service along with better aircraft is the basis of safe and reliable travel.
