Picture credits: Wikipedia
India: Air India’s CEO, Campbell Wilson, recently confirmed that the airline will delay exercising its options for Boeing aircraft until the manufacturer resolves its backlog.
Boeing currently faces a significant backlog of 619 B787-9s, 481 B777X, and 4,759 B737 MAX aircraft. Moreover, the FAA has yet to certify the B777X and Boeing has slowed the production of MAX aircraft to 38 per month.
“We don’t want to commit to anything until we have confidence of when it’s going to come” he stated, speaking to reuters.
Despite Air India’s confidence in receiving the aircraft eventually, Wilson expressed skepticism about meeting the planned delivery timelines: “We expect to get our aircraft, but do we expect to get them according to the timeline? No, we don’t.”
As of January 31, 2025, the airline’s order book includes 153 B737 MAX, ten B777-9s, and twenty B787-9s, with options for an additional fifty B737 MAX and twenty B787-9s.
In addition to its Boeing commitments, Air India is pursuing an extensive fleet transformation. In early 2023, the airline placed an order with Airbus for 140 A320-200 Ns, seventy A321-200 Ns, thirty-four A350-1000s, and six A350-900s.
This was followed by another order late last year for ninety A320neo family aircraft and ten A350s. However, Airbus is also facing delays, which have affected its own production schedules.
Wilson also highlighted the challenges Air India faces due to ongoing supply chain issues, which have slowed the refurbishment of its existing fleet. Delays in seat upgrades range from six to 18 months, extending the timeline for the airline’s transformation.
While refurbishments of its B787 fleet are proceeding well, the airline’s B777 refurbishments have faced setbacks due to difficulties sourcing seats. These delays have resulted in the suspension of Air India’s Mumbai-Melbourne and Kochi-London Gatwick routes.
Air India’s fleet currently consists of ten A319-100s, seven A320-200s, ninety-five A320-200Ns, thirteen A321-200s, six A350-900s, twenty-seven B787-8s, and seven B787-9s. Of its nineteen B777-300ERs, five are out of service, while all eight of its B777-200LRs are operational.
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