Indian Airlines See 32 Per Cent Drop In Aircraft Inductions In 2025 Amid Supply Chain And Engine Woes

Mumbai, Feb 09: The rapid expansion of India’s aviation sector hit a significant speed bump in 2025. According to the latest government data, Indian carriers inducted a total of 95 aircraft over the past twelve months, recording a sharp 32% decline compared to the record-setting 140 inductions seen in 2024.

Sharp fall despite large order book

The drop comes despite a massive backlog of over 1,600 aircraft orders, signalling that global supply chain bottlenecks and engine reliability issues are finally catching up to one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets.

Narrow-body dominance, no wide-body deliveries

The 2025 fleet expansion was characterised by a mix of narrow-body workhorses and a strategic push towards long-haul wide-body jets. However, the volume failed to match the aggressive growth trajectory seen in the previous year.

According to the data presented by the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, in the Lok Sabha, Indian airlines inducted 95 narrow-body aircraft in the last year, which saw no deliveries of wide-body jets.

Comparison with previous years

The deliveries saw an overall 32% decline from the previous year, when Indian airlines inducted 129 narrow-body and 11 wide-body aircraft. In 2023, Indian airlines received deliveries of 104 narrow-body and eight wide-body aircraft. The current year has also recorded a decent start, as airlines inducted seven narrow-body and one wide-body aircraft in January.

Operational and regulatory challenges

While narrow-body deliveries, primarily from the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX families, saw a steep decline, the wide-body segment remained completely absent. This was largely driven by Air India Express and Akasa Air receiving more deliveries for their short-haul routes.

Both global leaders among original equipment manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, have been facing production hurdles due to issues in the global supply chain.

At the same time, the implementation of stricter Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules in late 2025 by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) forced airlines to prioritise crew training and operational stability over aggressive fleet growth.

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Outlook for 2026

While 2025 was a year of consolidation, 2026 is expected to see a rebound. Manufacturers are expected to ramp up production, and Indian carriers are hopeful that the engine crisis will begin to ease by the third quarter.

With a recent India–US trade deal expected to lower tariffs on aerospace components and boost local sourcing, the industry is optimistic that the 32% drop is merely a temporary flight correction rather than a long-term descent.

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