Air India inks deals with Airbus, Boeing to buy 470 planes

Just a day after Indian budget carrier IndiGo inked a historic deal with Airbus, Air India on Tuesday signed an agreement with both Airbus and Boeing for acquiring as many as 470 planes for an estimated USD 70 billion at list prices.

In February, the Tata Group-owned airline announced the purchase of 470 aircraft, including wide-body planes.

The “firm orders include 34 A350-1000, 6 A350-900, 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 10 Boeing 777X wide-body aircraft, as well as 140 Airbus A320neo, 70 Airbus A321neo and 190 Boeing 737MAX narrow-body aircraft,” the airline said in a release.

The purchase agreements were signed on the sidelines of the Paris Air Show.

Boeing in a statement said the two companies have finalised an order for up to 290 new Boeing jets, including 70 on option and expanded services.

Air India added that the recent agreement go “one step further in its USD 70 billion (based on list prices) fleet expansion program that it announced in February this year”.

The Airbus A350 will be aircraft to be delivered later this year, with the bulk of the order to arrive from mid-2025 onwards.

N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons and Air India, said the landmark step further positions the airline for long-term growth and success that, “we have every hope, will come together to represent the best of modern aviation to the world”.

Meanwhile, the former government-owned airline has already started taking delivery of 11 leased B777 and 25 A320 aircraft to accelerate its fleet and network expansion.

Satair, an Airbus company, and Boeing Global Services will support Air India with a broad range of solutions, including parts and maintenance provisioning, digital applications, and modification services.

“The order, which includes 190 737 MAXs, 20 787 Dreamliners and 10 777X jets with options for 50 737 MAXs and 20 787 Dreamliners, is Boeing’s largest order in South Asia,” Boeing said in a statement.

With inputs from PTI

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