With six Airbus A350s expected to join the airline by the end of the year, Air India will utilize Aeroflot cabins on some of these forthcoming aircraft.
In order to get around scheduling and supply chain restrictions, the widebody jets will be delivered to Air India with the Russian airline’s cabins, according to Campbell Wilson, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Air India group, who addressed a media briefing on February 27, 2023.
The sanctions placed on Russia as a result of its invasion of Ukraine prevented the Russian airline from accepting the already-built aircraft.
By the end of 2023, Air India is expected to acquire six Airbus A350 aircraft that were previously bound for Aeroflot, according to Wilson.
Sanctions prevented the delivery of two A350s to the Russian airline, according to Airbus’ Orders & Deliveries dossier dated December 2022. However, data from planespotters.net shows that the airline has already manufactured five frames that have not yet been taken up (NTU).
Included in the list are the Manufacturer Serial Numbers (MSN) 242, 253, 498, 508, and 601. According to planespotters.net, MSNs 558, 554 and 585 are likewise identified as NTU but are also indicated as possibly departing for Air India. 28 business class, 24 premium economy, and 264 economy seats are displayed in the cabins of two of the airframes.
On February 14, 2023, Air India placed a 250-aircraft deal with Airbus, including 210 Airbus A320neo family aircraft and 40 A350s. The Indian airline and Boeing reached a deal to take delivery of 190 Boeing 737 MAX, 20 Boeing 787-9, and 10 Boeing 777X-9 aircraft over the ensuing years on the same day.
The two biggest aircraft manufacturers received 470 orders from Air India in total.
The first deliveries of the 250 aircraft ordered, according to an Airbus release from February 14, 2023, “are slated to commence with the first A350-900 arriving by late-2023,”
AeroTime contacted Air India for a response.
Stefan Schaffrath, a manufacturer representative, told AeroTime that Airbus has confirmed the ex-Aeroflot A350s have been “now reallocated to Air India.” The first of the type should be delivered to the Indian carrier in late 2023, according to Schaffrath as well.
