It has emerged that Air India will receive four Airbus A321neos this month as deliveries from its blockbuster order get underway.
As per @Vinamralongani on Twitter, the following airframes are due to be delivered:
- VT-RTB
- VT-RTC
- VT-RTD
- VT-RDE
Such data has been confirmed by the directory Planespotters.net.
First Air India Airbus A321neo Out of the Paint Shop…
Air India’s first Airbus A321neo has been spotted at the Airbus plant in Hamburg Finkenwerder.
Under the registration of D-AYAH, this aircraft will eventually become VT-RTD when it is delivered to Air India.
Photographer for v1images Aviation Media, Dirk Grothe, got a shot of the first frame being pulled by the tug in Hamburg.
It is understood the Air India A321neo is awaiting the beginning of its test flight campaign before it is sent to the customer.
ICYMI: Air India’s 250-Strong Airbus Order…
The airline made a blockbuster order with Airbus this week with a commitment to order 250 aircraft from the European planemaker.
This is broken down as follows:
- 140 A320neos.
- 70 A321neos.
- 34 A350-1000s.
- 6 A350-900s.
Deliveries of the A350-900s are expected to begin by the end of this year.
Airbus’ sales chief Christian Scherer said the following on the order:
“This is a historic moment for Airbus and for Air India. India is on the verge of an international air travel revolution.”
“We are honored that our partnership with the Tatas and our aircraft solutions will write that new chapter for the country’s air connectivity”.
“The A350’s unique capability will unlock the pent-up potential of India’s long-haul market, its technology, long reach, and second-to-none comfort will enable new routes and passenger experience with better economics and enhanced sustainability.”
“Alongside the A350s, the A320 Family fleets will be the efficient, versatile asset to continue democratizing and decarbonizing air travel in the country – from domestic, regional, up to international levels.”
No Messing Around from Air India…
It remains clear in this context that Air India is not messing around, as they want to hit the ground running with its fleet renewal and expansion program.
Upon delivery, it is unclear when the airline will be launching the aircraft into commercial service.
Still, it is expected to be a quick turnaround due to the commonality from A321ceo to A321neo.
From a long-haul perspective, Air India is set to receive six Airbus A350-900 aircraft by the second half of this year as well.
Overall…
It remains clear that under the Vihaan.AI transformation program, it is full steam ahead for Air India as aircraft deliveries get penciled in for this year and beyond.
Looking ahead, it is going to be interesting to see how many of the older aircraft get retired and how quickly, especially with deliveries raging on.
But for now, this is another exciting milestone in the transformation program, of which Air India is quite literally aiming for the skies.
