It is anticipated that on January 27 a resurgent Air India will be announcing combined major orders for over 500 commercial jets from Airbus and Boeing. According to unnamed sources, the order will include 235 Airbus A321-family aircraft together with 190 Boeing 737 MAX jets as previously reported by Reuters news agency. It is also expected that the order will also be for 70 wide-body jets including 40 Airbus A350s, 20 Boeing 787s and 10 Boeing 777Xs. According to industry sources, finalising the deal and organising the delivery schedule for the aircraft will be dependent on negotiations with engine suppliers.
This is the largest commercial order for aircraft since American Airlines ordered a combination of 460 Airbus and Boeing jets over ten years ago. One of the reasons for the delay in the official announcement is that next Friday will be the exact date when, a year ago, the Tata Group regained control of the flag-carrying airline that was originally founded in 1932 by JRD Tata. The current airline struggled financially during the mid-2000s and the Tata Group plans to significantly transform the carrier to create a world-class operation within the next five years.
The order from Airbus helps to consolidate the European planemaker’s position as the leading supplier of narrow-body jets in India with the country’s largest carrier, IndiGo being the biggest operator of the Airbus A320neo family of aircraft. The order is also a boost for Boeing which has fallen behind Airbus for orders in what is seen as a fast-growing market. Boeing recently also secured orders from start-up Alaska Air as well as SpiceJet.
