Market Intelligence: Indian Subcontinent

New Delhi, India, 9 December 2024– The Tata Group-owned Air India has officially disclosed orders it placed earlier for 10 A350 widebody and 90 single-aisle A320 Family aircraft. In addition, it has selected Airbus’ Flight Hour Services-Component (FHS-C) for its growing A350 fleet.

The latest aircraft order, which is already included in Airbus’ 2024 orderbook, comes on top of the 40 A350 and 210 A320 Family aircraft ordered by Air India in 2023. Air India’s total orderbook for Airbus aircraft now stands at 344 with six A350-900s having already been delivered.

The FHS-C services package will help optimise the performance and reliability of Air India’s growing A350 fleet. This contract confirms Airbus’ position as the largest A350 power-by-the-hour maintenance service provider in the world.

The aircraft and services orders are part of Air India’s ongoing fleet modernisation programme.

Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons and Air India, said, “With 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. These additional 100 Airbus aircraft will help to position Air India on the path to greater growth and contribute to our mission of building Air India into a world-class airline that connects India to every corner of the world.”

“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 for both our A320 Family and A350 aircraft,” said Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO. “Through this continued partnership, we are committed to supporting the success of Air India’s “Vihaan.AI” transformation plan under Tata’s vision and leadership.“

Air India commenced its A350 operations in January 2024. It marked the entry-into-service of this Airbus widebody aircraft in the Indian market.

The A350 is the world’s most modern and efficient widebody aircraft and the long range leader in the 300-410 seater category, flying efficiently on any sector from short-haul to ultra-long-haul routes up to 9,700nm. Its clean sheet design includes state-of-the-art technologies, aerodynamics, lightweight materials and latest generation engines that together deliver 25% advantage in fuel burn, operating costs and CO₂ emissions, as well as 50% noise reduction compared to previous generation competitor aircraft.

The A321neo is the largest member of Airbus’ best-selling A320neo Family, offering unparalleled range and performance. By incorporating new generation engines and Sharklets, the A321neo brings a 50% noise reduction and more than 20% fuel savings and CO₂ reduction compared to previous generation single-aisle aircraft, while maximising passenger comfort in the widest single-aisle cabin in the sky.

Airbus Flight Hour Services (FHS) is a comprehensive material & maintenance service based on a contractual fixed hourly-rate payment. FHS-C will provide Air India with fully integrated component services including on-site stock at Delhi. It will also provide the airline access to Airbus mutualised regional spares pools as well as repair and engineering services for a wide range of replaceable parts. FHS-C’s guaranteed service levels and component engineering expertise will allow Air India to benefit from maximised aircraft availability and operating maintenance cost savings.

Source: Airbus