Air India orders 100 additional Airbus aircraft to expand fleet
What's the story
Tata Group's Air India has placed an order for 100 more Airbus aircraft as part of its expansion strategy.
The new order consists of 10 widebody A350 and 90 narrowbody A320 Family aircraft, particularly the A321neo model.
This purchase comes on top of the firm orders of 470 aircraft that Air India had placed with Airbus and Boeing last year.
Order expansion
Air India's total Airbus orders now stand at 350
With the latest order, the total number of aircraft Air India ordered from Airbus goes from 250 to 350.
The previous order of 250 made last year comprised 40 A350 and 210 A320 Family aircraft.
With this new addition, Air India now has a whopping 344 new aircraft incoming from Airbus, having already received six A350s.
Growth strategy
Air India's future fleet expansion plans
N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons and Air India, explained what led to this mammoth order.
He mentioned India's passenger growth outpacing the rest of the world, its significantly improving infrastructure and an aspirational young population increasingly going global.
"We see a clear case for Air India to expand its future fleet beyond the firm orders of the 470 aircraft placed last year," he said.
CEO remarks
Airbus CEO comments on Air India's additional order
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said he was happy with Air India's decision to place an additional order for A320 Family and A350 aircraft.
"Having personally witnessed the formidable growth of the Indian aviation sector in recent months, I am glad to see Air India renew its trust in Airbus with this additional order," he said.
Faury also promised Airbus's support for the success of Air India's transformation plan under Tata's vision and leadership.