Air India to Add 5 More A350s by June: Campbell Wilson

New Delhi, Jan 25 (PTI) Air India will add five more wide-body A350 aircraft to its fleet by June, and the process of upgrading 40 of its legacy Boeing 787 and 777 planes will begin in July, its chief Campbell Wilson said on Thursday.

As Tata Group's takeover of loss-making Air India completes two years on January 27, Wilson also said that on average, one aircraft will arrive every six days throughout 2024.

There will be an addition of 5 more A350s, which will progressively take to India's skies between January and June 2024, the Air India CEO and Managing Director said in a message to the staff.

Air India will also induct 17 A320s and 46 B737s.

The airline started the commercial operations of its first A350 aircraft on January 22, with a flight from Mumbai to Chennai.

Currently, Air India has 117 operational aircraft and together with Air India Express, the total number of operational planes is 180.

Last year, Air India placed an order for 470 planes with Airbus and Boeing.

The "process of upgrading 40 of our legacy Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft to the same standard, completely replacing the seats and entertainment systems will begin in July 2024. Concurrently, upgrading the interiors of 41 A320 narrow-body aircraft will also commence," he said.

Besides, Air India will launch a new group loyalty programme and is also working with interior design firm Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) to refurbish the airline's lounges.