Air India has placed an order for 100 aircraft from Airbus
The phenomenal pace of Indian aviation is reflected not only in the growing number of passengers flown, but also by the order book of the three big airlines - IndiGo, Air India, and Akasa Air.
The number of aircraft that are on order to the two largest manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, is truly staggering with Air India's latest order of 100 aircraft, all to France's Airbus.
Air India has placed an order for 570 aircraft since 2023. These include 300 A320neo family aircraft, 50 A350, 190 Boeing 737 MAX, 10 Boeing 777X, and 20 Boeing 787.
IndiGo placed orders for 1,260 aircraft since 2011. Akasa Air placed orders for 226 aircraft since 2021.
Airlines and manufacturers don't like to spell out the exact price of deals, but the larger the order, the deeper the discount.
The overall value of all the deals by the big three airlines in India put together is estimated to be well above $ 100 billion.
Announcing the deal for 100 more aircraft on Monday, the Tata Group-owned Air India said it aimed at bolstering its fleet and winning over fliers. The airline said the deal consisted of 10 widebody A350 and 90 narrowbody A320 family aircraft.
The new purchase, the company said in a statement, is "in addition" to the orders for 470 aircraft Air India placed with Airbus and Boeing last year.
When the two deals were announced, it was the largest order unveiled at the same time by a commercial carrier, with list price calculations for the jets suggesting an estimated value north of $70 billion.
"The latest order takes the total number of aircraft that Air India ordered with Airbus in 2023 from 250 aircraft, comprising 40 A350 and 210 A320 family aircraft, to 350," the carrier said in a statement, without giving price details on the latest order.
Since taking over the former national carrier in 2022, the sprawling Tata Group conglomerate has sought to turn around the loss-making airline by ordering new aircraft and upgrading its existing fleet.
Tata Sons Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran has said the airline saw a "clear case" for Air India to expand its future fleet beyond the 470 aircraft ordered in 2023.
"These additional 100 Airbus aircraft will help to position Air India on the path to greater growth and contribute to our mission of building Air India into a world-class airline that connects India to every corner of the world," Mr Chandrasekaran said in a statement.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said in a statement that he was pleased by Air India's latest investment.
"Having personally witnessed the formidable growth of the Indian aviation sector... I am glad to see Air India renew its trust in Airbus with this additional order," he said.