Tata Group-owned Air India has placed an order for 840 planes with Airbus and Boeing, including the option to acquire 370 aircraft, with a senior airline official saying the order is a landmark moment in the Indian aviation history.
The announcement by Air India's Chief Commercial and Transformation Officer Nipun Aggarwal comes a day after the airline said it has placed a firm order for 470 aircraft -- 250 from Airbus and 220 from Boeing.
In a LinkedIn post, Aggarwal said the airline is humbled by the excitement generated across the world by the airline's aircraft order. The order comprises 470 firm aircraft, 370 options and purchase rights to be procured from Airbus and Boeing over the next decade, he said. This will be one of the largest aircraft orders by an airline in the modern aviation history. According to him, this order of 840 aircraft has been a culmination of a fascinating journey that began almost two years ago with the Air India privatisation process.
The Airbus firm order comprises 210 A320/321 Neo/XLR and 40 A350-900/1000. The Boeing firm order comprises 190 737-Max, 20 787s and 10 777s.We have also signed up for long-term maintenance of the engines with CFM International (CFM), Rolls-Royce and GE Aerospace, he said.
This was also the first time in more than 17 years that Air India, which was acquired from the government by Tata Group in January 2022, has ordered planes. The first A350 plane will be delivered to the airline by the end of this year.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described Air India-Airbus transaction as a "landmark deal" that also reflects the deepening ties between India and France.
The prime minister along with US President Joe Biden also welcomed the landmark agreement between Air India and Boeing as a shining example of mutually beneficial cooperation. Air India, earlier under the ownership of the government, had acquired new aircraft more than 17 years ago.