Air India has the option to buy an additional 370 aircraft: Nipun Aggarwal

The total order now stands at 840 aircraft, with a firm order of 470 airplanes including 250 aircraft from Airbus and 220 jets from Boeing. A firm order indicates confirmation while an option does not indicate confirmation and thereby, an airline can choose not to exercise an option.

“This order of 840 aircraft has been a culmination of a fascinating journey that began almost two years ago starting with the Air India privatisation process,” Aggarwal said in a LinkedIn post.

The order comprises of 470 firm aircraft, 370 options and purchase rights to be procured from Airbus and Boeing over the next decade, he said.

“The Airbus firm order comprises 210 A-320/321 Neo / XLR and 40 A350-900/1000. The Boeing firm order comprises 190 737-Max, 20 787s and 10 777s,” he said.

The first aircraft to arrive will be 25 brand-new Boeing B737-800s and six Airbus A350-900s in the second half of 2023, with deliveries ramping up in 2025 and beyond.

The A350 aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce engines, and the B777/787s by engines from GE Aerospace. All single-aisle aircraft will be powered by engines from CFM International.

“I would like to make a special acknowledgement of the contribution by my core team comprising Yogesh Agarwal, Pranay Todi, Naman Jain and Jinesh Papdiwal who have been instrumental in driving and concluding this campaign,” he added.