Air India in Discussions for Major Widebody Jet Order from Airbus, Boeing

Mumbai, India – Air India’s got its eye on a hefty batch of widebody jets—30 to 50, maybe more—from Airbus and Boeing, according to people in the know. We’re talking A350s and 777Xs, a multi-billion-dollar play to juice up the airline’s long-haul game under Tata Group’s watch. Word is, things might firm up by the Paris Air Show in June, but don’t hold your breath—details are still shaky. Air India’s keeping quiet, and Boeing and Airbus aren’t spilling either.

This comes after the airline’s monster 470-plane haul in 2023 and another 100 Airbus jets last year, mostly narrowbodies. Right now, they’ve got 50 A350s, 10 777Xs, and 20 787s on order. More widebodies would give Air India some serious firepower to take on the likes of Emirates and Lufthansa, who’ve been running circles around it for years.

India’s international travel scene is popping off—up 15-20% this fiscal year, per ICRA, while domestic’s chugging along at 7-10%. That’s a goldmine for an airline with the right planes. Trouble is, the whole industry’s scrambling for jets. Air India’s boss, Campbell Wilson, said Tuesday in New Delhi that engine shortages and supply snags could drag on four years. “We’re stuck flying some old clunkers longer than planned,” he admitted, which is gumming up Tata’s five-year fix-it job.

Air India used to be a big deal—swanky service, the works—until it hit the skids in the 2000s with cash trouble and planes that looked like museum pieces. Tata’s been throwing money at it since the 2022 buyout: new jets, a sharper look (that 2023 livery’s slick), and a merger with Vistara last November. Singapore Airlines even kicked in $600 million for a 25% stake in the combo. Still, they’re playing catch-up—foreign carriers hog over half of India’s outbound traffic, leaving locals with 43-44%, ICRA says.

The airline’s expecting about 20 planes this year, per Cirium Ascend, but it’s lean times for widebodies. Boeing’s 777X keeps getting pushed back—first promised in 2019, now who knows. Airbus isn’t exactly cranking them out either. “Air India’s got to move fast to lock in slots,” said Kapil Kaul from CAPA India. “They’re up against Gulf carriers with deeper pockets and newer fleets.”

There’s more at stake here than just Air India. India’s pushing to be an aerospace player—PM Modi opened a Tata-Airbus plant in Gujarat last October for C295s, with talk of civilian jets next. A big order like this could tie into that. For now, Air India’s betting on widebodies to claw back some glory. If they pull it off, those Paris headlines could be worth the wait.

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