The recently privatized airline Air India is said to be planning a bulk order of up to 300 narrowbodies. The company also wants to purchase long-haul Airbus A350 aircraft, with the first tranche being delivered in April 2023.

Air India's fleet is showing its age, having not bought a brand-new aircraft since 2006. However, some new aircraft have been obtained through lessors. The main reason for this was the tense financial situation, because the carrier could only be kept in the air with government help. The new owner Tata Sons wants to renew the fleet as soon as possible.

Local media reports that the Airbus A350 aircraft type is to be purchased for long-haul routes. In the area of ​​short and medium-haul routes, there is a demand for up to 300 narrowbodies. Air India and Tata Sons do not yet want to comment officially on the reporting.

The Bloomberg agency reports, citing people close to Tata Sons, that they want to order 20 Airbus A350s at short notice. These are said to have originally been intended for Aeroflot, but they are not allowed to be delivered due to the sanctions. Talks are also in progress about the acceptance of the Airbus A350-1000, which was actually intended for Qatar Airways. Internally, the company is already looking for pilots who want to do a type rating for the A350.

Discussions are underway with Airbus, Boeing and lessors about the renewal of the medium-haul fleet. The models of the A320neo series and the B737 Max family are up for discussion. It has not yet been decided whether to buy from a manufacturer or split the order. Given the high number of aircraft Tata Sons plans to deliver to Air India, deliveries are expected to take around ten years.

When asked Air India simply said: "We are in constant contact with existing and potential manufacturers and the nature of these discussions - whether they take place or not - are confidential".