Air India is getting ready to add its first Airbus A350 aircraft to its fleet next month, a first for an Indian airline and one that will enable it to take on the three big Gulf carriers and fly more Indian passengers non-stop on long-haul international routes thanks to its longer range and higher capacity.
The airline will get upto four Airbus A350s till March 2024, which form a part of the 470 aircraft order Air India placed with aerospace manufacturers Airbus and Boeing in February this year and includes 70 widebodies. The airline has already taken delivery of some A320s, A321 NEOs and Boeing 737 MAX8s from the order.
The airline has been training its pilots, cabin crew and engineering personnel around the world to welcome the first A350-900, which will also be the first aircraft in Air India’s new livery. However, as these aircraft were initially destined for Aeroflot before the Russia- Ukraine war resulted in a ban, they will not yet sport Air India’s new interiors which is expected to be seen only from August 2024 onwards
