From French President Emanuel Macron to US President Joe Biden, leaders and corporations across the globe are excited about Air India's deal to acquire aircraft from Boeing and Airbus. The purchase of 470 airplanes in total is estimated to be worth $80 billion, and has propelled India's relations with other G20 nations. Now the national carrier turned Tata subsidiary has announced that it's on track to buy 840 aircraft, making it one of the biggest order in the history of modern aviation.
After its return to the Tata conglomerate, Air India has placed an order for new airplanes for the first time in 16 years. Orders for 250 aircraft from Airbus and 220 from Boeing is already confirmed, while there's an option to buy another 370. These deals shed light on Air India's big plans to go from a debt laden airline on the verge of collapse to a major player in the international market.
As India puts emphasis on becoming self reliant, Air India's rise is also part of a push by the country to regain control of its international connectivity from Gulf-based carriers. The first Airbus A350 will arrive in India by the end of 2023, and boost Air India's vision to launch non-stop flights for every major city from India. As of now, India's entire aviation sector has 470 Airbus and 159 Boeing aircraft.
Air India has already restarted non-stop flights between Mumbai and New York, but it has also been facing diruptions in service including delays and cancellations, due to a shortage of cabin crew.
