Air India, once known for ‘Maharaja service’ but lately better known for losses and mediocre service, has a new owner and orders for a huge new fleet of Boeing and Airbus planes as part of a major restart effort.
The airline’s order for 470 new planes is the largest aircraft order ever made, both in dollars and in numbers. The planes, whose delivery dates haven’t been announced, include 190 737 Max single-aisle planes as well as 20 787s and 10 777X, with options for 50 more planes. From Airbus, the airline will get 210 A320neos and 40 A350s.
The airline was sold by India’s government to the Tata Group conglomerate, which appears prepared to make a big investment in recapturing traffic between India and the world that is currently dominated by others, including Emirates.
