Air India Ltd. announced an order for 470 planes from Airbus SE and Boeing Co., which could become the largest purchase in commercial aviation history, underscoring the industry’s recovery from the pandemic and the airline’s ambition to become a global force after years of contraction, Bloomberg reported.
The previous largest order for passenger jets was a deal for 460 planes by American Airlines in 2011.
The Indian carrier will buy 250 Airbus aircraft, including 210 A320neo family aircraft and 40 A350s, as well as 220 Boeing models, including 190 737 Max, 20 787 and 10 of the largest 777X, according to separate sources, the agency said.
Air India Ltd. It has already signed an agreement of intent to buy 250 aircraft from European aircraft manufacturer Airbus SE,
The agreement calls for the delivery of 210 A320neo aircraft and 40 A350 wide-body aircraft, said Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Group’s board of directors. French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were also present at the online event.
In 2021, Tata Sons Pvt. bought out the Government of India’s stake in Air India. Tata has since invested 150 billion rupees ($1.9 billion) in the air carrier.
Indian airline Air India is close to its largest ever aircraft order
Airbus and Boeing aircraft are expected to be ordered for production
Air India is expected to place a similar order for aircraft from Airbus’ US rival Boeing Co soon. The final volume of Air India’s fleet expansion program has not been disclosed, but Bloomberg notes that it could become a record in the history of civil aviation and amount to tens of billions of dollars.
According to Boeing’s forecast, in the next two decades, the demand for new aircraft in India will be 2.21 thousand units. Over 80% of this volume is needed to ensure the growth of the country’s aviation market, and the other 20% – to replace old aircraft.
