Air India has placed an order to purchase 30 additional Boeing aircraft, comprising 20 737-8s and 10 737-10s. These 30 single-aisle aircraft are in addition to the orders for 220 aircraft that the country’s second-largest airline had placed with Boeing in 2023, taking the total number of aircraft orders placed with Boeing to 250.
The Tata Group airline also announced the conversion of 15 of its current orders for Airbus A321neo aircraft to Airbus A321XLR (Extra Long Range) variant to fuel international expansion plans.
The conversion, as per Air India, is part of its mega orders placed with Airbus in 2023 with an addition in 2024, comprising a total of 50 twin-aisle A350 and 300 single-aisle A320 Family aircraft. Of the 300 single-aisle aircraft, this conversion to A321XLR applies to 15 of 210 A321neo aircraft ordered, while the remaining 90 A320neo remain as originally structured.
The deliveries of the 15 A321XLR are expected between 2029 and 2030.
Air India also entered into a multi-year agreement with Boeing Global Services for its Component Services Program (CSP), encompassing the airline's entire Boeing 787 fleet, both existing aircraft and those on order. All the fresh announcements were made on the sidelines of Wings India 2026, one of Asia’s premier civil aviation events, in Hyderabad.
With the latest orders, Air India has a total of 198 new aircraft incoming from Boeing. The airline has, so far, received 52 aircraft from the original 220 ordered in 2023, including 51 737-8 in service with Air India’s subsidiary value carrier, Air India Express, and one brand-new 787-9 that enters commercial service between Mumbai and Frankfurt from 1 February 2026.
Air India’s effort to increase its fleet comes as airlines in India and South Asia are projected to require 3,300 new aeroplanes by 2044, according to Boeing’s Commercial Market Outlook (CMO) for South Asia. Boeing stated that India and South Asia’s passenger air traffic will rise by an average of 7% annually over the next 20 years, spurred by a growing middle class, economic growth and airport and connectivity investments.
Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, said that the additional order for 30 Boeing 737 aircraft is part of their broader fleet strategy to position Air India firmly for the future, as a world-class global carrier that India deserves and the world expects.
Commenting on the Airbus conversion deal, Wilson said this is in line with their effort to position Air India for the future. The A321XLR offers a range of up to 4,700 nautical miles (or 8,700 kilometres), enabling airlines to open new non-stop international routes and optimise high-demand, medium-haul international services with the flight economics of a single-aisle aircraft.
"The A321XLR is proving to be a revenue generator by boosting frequencies, managing seasonality, and optimising capacity on medium-haul routes. We are pleased to see Air India using the XLR’s efficiency and range to open new opportunities and strengthen India's connections with the rest of the world," said Benoit de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus Executive Vice President of Commercial Aircraft Sales.
Currently, Air India has outstanding deliveries of 542 new aircraft (including 344 with Airbus) out of its total firm orders for 600 aircraft. Since its privatisation in January 2022, the Air India group has added nearly 170 aircraft to its fleet through a combination of new deliveries, strategic leases, the merger of the erstwhile Vistara into Air India, and the reactivation of long-grounded aircraft.