The Air India group plans to induct one aircraft every six days on an average throughout 2024, including five more Airbus A350 wide-body aircraft, and 46 Boeing 737 and 17 Airbus A320 narrow-body planes, Air India’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson said Thursday in a message to staff ahead of the second anniversary of the carrier’s return to the Tata group. Apart from these 68 planes—part of the Air India group’s mammoth 470-aircraft order placed in 2023—four leased Boeing 777 wide-body planes will also join the carrier’s fleet.
Air India currently has 117 operational aircraft in its fleet, while its arm Air India Express has 63 planes. Under the new owners, Air India has been able to bring back to service 90 per cent of its long-grounded aircraft as well.
Apart from fleet expansion, 2024 will also see Air India kick off the full interior refit of 40 legacy wide-body aircraft—Boeing 777s and 787s. The upgradation exercise, which will include complete replacement of seats and in-flight entertainment system on the legacy wide-body fleet, is expected to start in July, coinciding with Air India’s first A350 aircraft starting international operations. The plane, which started commercial operations this week, is initially flying domestic sectors for a few months for crew familiarisation flights. Air India also plans to start interior upgrades on 41 narrow-body A320 aircraft as well this year.
“Though we still have a long way to go to upgrade the legacy fleet, improve our consistency, close remaining gaps and strengthen fragile processes, the future is now more visible, more tangible and, I hope, more inspiring. Despite—and no doubt somewhat because of—the good progress we’ve made in two short years since privatisation, expectations are high, so we need to keep rising to meet them,” Wilson said.
Over the past two years, Air India has augmented its legacy fleet by taking 36 aircraft on lease, apart from pacing the giant 470-aircraft order with Airbus and Boeing. It has added five domestic and 11 international routes to its network, and opened five new international stations. New brand identities for both Air India and Air India Express were also launched last year.
Ever since Air India returned to the Tata group on January 27, 2022, the new owners have been focusing on sprucing up the product offering, while also planning an extensive expansion for the airline. A five-year roadmap–Vihaan.AI–was prepared with the objective of substantially growing the airline’s network and fleet in a bid to put it on a “path to sustained growth, profitability, and market leadership”.
As per data shared by Wilson with staff, Air India clocked 249 per cent revenue growth over the past two years, while Air India Express’s revenue grew 148 per cent over the period. Wilson did not give further details on the group’s financials.
“In the context of our starting point, the size and scope of the transformation we’re undertaking, our unprecedented multi-carrier integration, our huge growth and product-improvement aspirations and our capability-building requirements, two years is an incredible short time. Indeed, we are not even 18 months into our 5-year Vihaan.AI transformation program. But even so, as the infographic shows, the progress made in two short years is quite remarkable and is testament to the commitment, energy and hard work of all Air Indians,” Wilson said.
The Tata group is in the process of consolidating its airline business by merging Air India and Vistara to create one full-service carrier under the Air India brand, and Air India Express and AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India) to create one budget airline under the Air India Express brand. While the operational integration of Air India Express and AIX Connect is complete, the merger of Air India and Vistara is expected sometime in 2025.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
First uploaded on: 26-01-2024 at 04:10 IST
