Those in the aviation circles in India have long known that Air India is planning to place a significant aircraft order to fuel its ambitious growth over the next several years. And while we still do not know the exact number of planes the carrier will order, its CEO has said that we can expect something historic, backed by substantial investment.

Historic order

At the JRD Tata Memorial Trust event in Mumbai on Saturday, Air India’s CEO Campbell Wilson disclosed that the carrier is currently in talks with Airbus and Boeing for a substantial aircraft order that will shoulder the airline’s growth in the coming years.

Wilson shared his vision about making Air India a major player in the aviation world within a decade and hinted at the magnitude of the future order, saying,

“We are in deep discussion with Boeing, Airbus and engine manufacturers for an historic order of the latest-generation aircraft that will power Air India’s medium and long-term growth. At the risk of gross understatement, the investment will be substantial.”

Among the biggest challenges Air India presented before its new owners was that of its fleet. The carrier has not invested in new planes for years, and many planes in its existing fleet had been grounded due to a lack of spare parts, affecting capacity and revenue.

But the Tatas have been quick to focus on fleet optimization and have already taken significant steps to boost capacity even before announcing a big order.

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Significant increase in capacity

Air India’s fleet size has increased over the last few months and will further swell in the coming days. For the longest time, several of its planes, both narrowbodies and widebodies, had been grounded because the government didn’t have the money to buy engines and spare parts to make them airworthy again.

But all that has changed now, with nearly 20 grounded planes being restored and put back into operation. But that’s not it. The airline awaits 30 more aircraft, including several Boeing 777s on short-term leases, which will be delivered over the next 12 months, starting next week.

The carrier is also engaged in discussions to lease more airplanes, so one can expect its fleet to look much larger even before it starts receiving planes from its firm orders. Together, the leased planes are expected to boost its fleet size by 25%. Air India hasn’t seen this kind of fleet re-jigging in years.

Focus on long-term goals

Wilson and his team have a long road ahead of them to fix an airline battered by years of neglect. But they seem aware of the challenge and ready to tackle it head-on.

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We’ve seen the new owners take the initiatives to improve the soft product, recruit new talent, and make an attempt to change the working culture within the company. Still, there’s plenty that needs fixing, as is evident by frequent customer complaints about broken seats and in-flight entertainment systems. But setting all these issues will take time. UK-based Rishi Jain of Jain Aviation Consultants says that we shouldn’t expect the Tatas to fix these problems overnight. He told Simple Flying,

“Air India now has all the money to do what it wants, but the Tatas need time to fix all of its problems. They’re trying really hard to fix the seats, IFE and the interiors of the aircraft but are limited by global supply chain issues. And even though they’ve started working on these issues, we can expect to see substantial changes in 12-18 months.”

Indeed, the carrier has embarked on a five-year turnaround plan to capture at least 30% of India’s domestic and international market share, which means that Wilson and his team have their hands full for the foreseeable future.

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  Air India

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  AI/AIC

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1946

  Alliance:

  Star Alliance

  CEO:

  Campbell Wilson

  Country:

  India

  Region:

  Asia