According to reports, Air India is close to sealing a deal with Boeing for an order of up to 220 aircraft, including 190 737 MAX, 20 787, and 10 777X models.
Reuters, citing sources familiar with the situation, reported that an official announcement should be made soon. According to FlightGlobal, the airline is “finalizing a historic order of new aircraft,” according to a staff message received by the current Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Campbell Willson. On January 27, 2023, Wilson sent the memo.
On January 27, 2022, the Tata Group, a multinational with headquarters in India, signed a contract to buy Air India from the Indian government. In 1932, the corporation launched Tata Airlines, which later changed its name to Air India.
The deal has been the topic of rumors for a while; earlier reports said that the carrier will also purchase aircraft from Airbus, including 235 and 40 A350s, respectively, as well as aircraft from the A320 family of aircraft.
On January 26, 2023, N839BA, a 737-700 BBJ registered to Boeing, was seen arriving at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) in Mumbai, India after departing from Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN).
The Tata Group and Singapore Airlines jointly own Air Vistara, which Air India also announced it would combine with after being acquired by the conglomerate. It’s anticipated that the merger would be finished in H2 2024.
The order, if it goes through, would be another sizable one that Boeing has been able to secure in the past few months. The American manufacturer earlier signed a contract with United Airlines, which placed orders for 100 737 MAX and 100 787 planes in December 2022.
