Air India to lease six more aircraft to fuel expansion

Tata-owned Air India has accelerated its expansion pace with the announcement of leasing an additional six Boeing 777-300ERs to its fleet. The move is a part of the airline’s “aggressive expansion” which will see a ramp-up in flights to European and North American cities. The aircraft with four class configurations will join the fleet by the first half of 2023.

Air India has also returned to service 19 long-grounded aircraft with nine more to follow and has stepped up the lease of narrow and wide-body aircraft. The A320neos will be deployed on domestic, as well as short-to-medium-haul international routes, while the 777s – to be configured in four classes – will operate from large Indian cities to long-haul international destinations.

The expansion plan of Air India includes increasing the frequency of flights between key cities in the domestic sector and also announcing direct flights between Indian cities and key global destinations like Doha, San Francisco, Vancouver, and Birmingham. Further, Air India is set to commence direct flights from Delhi to key European cities like Milan, Vienna, and Copenhagen, and from Mumbai to New York, Paris and Frankfurt.

Air India CEO & MD Campbell Wilson said, “Growing our network is an essential part of Air India’s Vihaan.AI transformational journey and we remain committed to increasing connectivity and frequency of flights both domestically and internationally. These additional aircraft leases will support our near-term growth even as we finalize plans to refresh and significantly grow our long-term fleet.” The expansion of Air India is indeed good news for passengers who will now enjoy more flights to various international destinations. This is also an excellent opportunity for the national carrier to make its mark in the competitive airline industry and become a preferred choice of passengers.