Air India has acquired six Boeing 777-300 ER planes that had been being operated on lease, marking the acquisition of this class of wide-body lengthy vary plane after greater than seven years, based on sources. The airline’s transfer comes in opposition to the backdrop of provide chain constraints delaying deliveries in addition to refurbishment works of its legacy wide-body planes.
The loss-making airline, acquired by the Tata Group in January 2022, is present process an bold five-year transformation plan, and is increasing its fleet in addition to community amid rising air traffic demand. Its USD 400 million retrofit programme for 67 wide-body and narrow-body planes can be in progress.
The sources informed PTI that Air India has purchased the six Boeing 777-300 ER plane that had been being operated on lease. These planes had been earlier operated by Etihad Airways.
The acquisition of those planes, having an prolonged vary and deployed for long-haul and ultra-long-haul flights, was accomplished just lately by means of the airline’s wholly-owned subsidiary AI Fleet Services Ltd (AIFS) situated within the Worldwide Monetary Providers Centre in GIFT Metropolis, Gujarat.
Additional, the sources stated the lease interval of those planes was to finish by subsequent 12 months, after which, the lessor would have taken again the plane. With a view to guarantee there’s sufficient capability, the airline determined to accumulate the planes, they added.
Monetary particulars couldn’t be instantly ascertained. An Air India spokesperson didn’t supply feedback on the deal.
The six leased Boeing 777-300 ER planes began becoming a member of Air India fleet in 2023. These plane have a four-class configuration of First, Enterprise, Premium Financial system and Financial system seats.
That is the primary time in additional than seven years that Air India has bought Boeing 777 planes. Again in 2018, the airline, then owned by the federal government, had taken supply of its final B777 plane as a part of an order introduced in April 2005.
Since Tata Group began piloting Air India, the airline has positioned orders for 570 new plane.
The airline has 67 legacy wide-body and narrow-body planes — 13 B777-300 ERs and 27 B787s. The primary of the legacy B787 is ready to go for retrofit in June whereas the refit of all of the 27 legacy A320 neo plane is predicted to be accomplished by the third quarter of this 12 months.
Air India has 198 planes, of which 106 supply new or upgraded cabin interiors.
“What this implies is refurbishing previous plane in our fleet to put in new seats in a three-class cabin configuration, carpets, curtains, toilets, and extra, together with a recent coat of paint, new livery – all within the new Air India branding,” the airline stated in a launch on April 30.
On March 18, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson talked concerning the provide scenario and stated there are pinch factors all over the place, akin to there aren’t any engines for some narrow-body plane, there are points with seat suppliers in addition to availability of parts and elements of fuselage.
“Actuality is that it’s going to stay a supply-constrained market, not only for Air India, India, (I’m) speaking about worldwide… for one more 4-5 years,” Wilson had stated.
At the moment, he had stated, “We’re victims of the circumstances as is each different airline”.
“If you’re capability constrained, you need to be slightly bit ruthless with respect to the place you deploy your plane to maximise the returns. It means you may’t develop to locations that in any other case you want to develop. It’s not rather a lot that you are able to do past that.
“We will attempt to lease plane from the exterior market, however each different airline is making an attempt to do it. Getting one or two plane which have a special configuration from the remainder of the fleet provides to the complexity relatively than advancing you. It’s a very vital problem for the business as an entire,” Wilson stated on March 18.
