Guwahati: Air India's fleet will be expanded by about 200 additional planes. According to national media reports, the Tata Group is considering purchasing around 200 new planes, with approximately 70% of them being narrow-body aircraft.
The announcement was apparently made in the margins of the International Air Transport Association's 78th Annual General Meeting.
Also Read: https://www.business-northeast.com/cci-nods-to-air-indias-acquisition-in-air-asia/
After the procurement of the new aircraft, the share of narrow-bodied aircraft to that of wide-bodied planes in Air India will be 70:30. The company is reportedly set to make a choice between the Airbus A320 and Boeing's 737 Max aircraft for the narrow-bodied aircraft but is reportedly in talks with both the manufacturers.
No additions have been made to the fleet of Air India since 2006 when it placed orders for purchasing 111 aircraft; 68 of these were from the US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing and 43 from the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.
The Tata Group Thursday regained control of Air India, 69 years on January 27, 2022, after the conglomerate emerged as the winning bidder for 100 percent of Air India with a bid of Rs 18,000 crore.
The airline has a total of 49 wide-bodied aircraft which includes 18 Boeing B777, 4 Boeing B747, and 27 Boeing B787. Additionally, it has 79 narrow-bodied planes in its fleet.
The Tata Group took over the airlines along with its 12,085 employees- 8,084 permanent and 4,001 contractual, in addition to the 1,434 employees of Air India Express. As per the bidding conditions, the Tata Group will have to retain all employees of Air India for one year from the close of the transaction and can offer a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) in the second year.
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