Air India on Monday announced its decision to lease 25 Airbus narrow-body and five Boeing wide-body aircraft. This is its first major fleet expansion since Tata Sons took over the airline last January.
The aircraft include 21 Airbus A320 neos, four Airbus A321 neos and five Boeing 777-200 LRs. These will enter service from late 2022 and increase the airline’s fleet by more than 25%.
The B777-200 LRs will join the fleet between December 2022 and March 2023, and will be deployed on routes from Mumbai and Bengaluru to the United States of America. This will include flights from Mumbai to San Francisco as well as to the two international airports in New York - Newark Liberty and John F. Kennedy. Bengaluru will also get thrice-weekly service to San Francisco. Air India also provides connectivity to Chicago and Washington DC.