NEW DELHI: Air India’s historic order for 470 aircraft — 400 single aisles and 70 wide bodies — is actually much bigger — at 840 planes and will be able to “connect India nonstop to every major city in the world.”
AI chief commercial and transformation officer Nipun Aggarwal, one of the key architects of this order, said “the order comprises of 470 firm aircraft, 370 options and purchase rights to be procured from Airbus and Boeing over the next decade.” An option, given when placing firm order for aircraft, allows an airline to purchase additional aircraft in the future at an agreed price and date.
The 840 figure factors in the need to phase out AI’s old fleet whose poor interiors have over the years a major pain point for passengers, In its last years as a state-owned airline, AI suffered from any lack of investment on upkeep of cabin interiors.
