NEW DELHI: Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said on Wednesday that the airline is experiencing delays in receiving aircraft deliveries from Boeing, largely due to a strike at the aircraft manufacturer’s U.S. factory.
Wilson revealed that the delivery of 50 “white tail” aircraft, initially expected to be completed by December this year, has been pushed to June 2025.
“50 white tail aircraft, all of them were to come by December this year... They will stretch up to June next year and that in itself has a little bit of impact...,” he said, adding that the two factors - a slowdown in production by Boeing and the strike – are likely to have contributed to the delay.
“It is not clear for how long the impact will be. Six months is reasonable for some aircraft...,” Wilson added.
Out of the total 50 white-tail Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, at least 35 have joined Air India’s fleet. These planes are being operated by Air India Express. Generally, white-tail planes are those that were originally manufactured for a particular airline and later taken by another airline. Currently, the Air India Group operates a fleet of around 300 aircraft. It is expected to add 100 new planes between 2026 and 2027.
However, Wilson noted that deliveries in 2025 will be slower compared to 2024. The CEO also highlighted the importance of domestic and short-haul international markets for Air India’s growth in 2025, as the airline expands its narrow-body fleet while sending its older wide-body aircraft for retrofitting.
“We had hoped to start retrofit of 787s and 777s by now. Unfortunately, the global supply chains in some areas are still recovering and seats in particular are a challenge...Once it (retrofit) starts in 2025, we will be doing 3-4 aircraft every month until the full legacy 40 wide-body aircraft are completed,” Wilson said.
“So, we took the view that there is an opportunity, appetite for growth in the market and that we should take it. On balance, we have taken millions of people on these aircraft. People are happy that the service exists,” he noted.