7 Air India planes leased from Ireland-based SPVs of Chinese firms: Puri

Seven of Air India’s narrow-body aircraft have been leased from Ireland-based special purpose vehicles (SPVs) of Chinese companies, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Thursday.

“Presently, there is no proposal under consideration of the Ministry of Civil Aviation to ban any aircraft leasing entity,” he said.

Air India group has a total of 167 planes in its fleet, Puri mentioned.

Air India has narrow-body aircraft like B737 as well as wide-body aircraft like B787 in its fleet. A narrow-body aircraft has a smaller fuel tank and therefore, it can fly for shorter distances.