NEW DELHI/MUMBAI
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A little more than two years since it placed the first of two mega-orders of passenger jets on Airbus SE and Boeing Co., India’s second largest carrier Air India has started taking deliveries at the rate of one aircraft a week — catching up with market leader Indigo’s additions to its fleet.
“We have 524 aircraft yet to be delivered. And all of those will come by around 2031. We will be taking an aircraft about once every six days [including AIX] for the next few years,” Air India chief executive officer Campbell Wilson said at an event in New Delhi on Wednesday.
A day earlier, Aloke Singh, managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of Air India Express, had told reporters at the Mumbai airport, “We are looking at about 20 to 24 aircraft in the next calendar year.”
In June 2023, Air India ordered 470 planes from Boeing and Airbus followed by an additional purchase of more than 100 jets last December, bringing the total such aircraft on order over 570.
IndiGo, too, had announced the purchase of 500 Airbus aircraft in June 2023 deliveries of which were scheduled to begin in 2030 and end in 2035. IndiGo’s order came on the back of an earlier order of 480 planes that runs until 2030 for the Gurgaon-based carrier.
IndiGo’s CEO Pieter Elbers reiterated the carrier’s stated fleet plans saying the airline had received 58 new aircraft in calendar year 2024. “So, that is like one aircraft every Friday or during the week last year,” he said.
To be sure, Wilson also highlighted severe challenges facing the airline while speaking at the same event. “Aside from the A171 accident, there was the war with Pakistan, closure of Middle East airspace, 50% tariff on India by Mr Trump, and constraints on H-1B visas. All of these are quite unprecedented shocks to the system,” he said.
Scramble in the skies
Rising incomes and strong economic growth have fueled hopes among India’s carriers that the number of people flying will keep rising. This has led to record orders on Airbus and Boeing. Typically, airlines place bulk orders to be delivered over several years, which helps them negotiate purchase prices of planes at a discount.
“2026 will be an important year (for Air India) as Air India and Air India Express, on average, will be adding one aircraft a week,” said an executive privy to the development. “Between Air India and Air India Express, there are 50-odd aircraft deliveries scheduled next year,” a second person said. Both wanted to stay anonymous.
Air India and Air India Express together have a fleet size of 297 planes, while IndiGo had more than 430 planes as of 29 October, 2025.
IndiGo’s 64.2% share of the domestic passenger market is more than double that of the Air India Group’s 27.3%.
IndiGo expects 100 Airbus deliveries over the next 26 months through calendar year 2027.
This includes deliveries of an unspecified number of the narrow body, long haul A321 XLR jets that can fly for six to seven hours. “By the end of December or early January, we are expecting the [first] XLR to come in,” Elbers said.
While the regular pace of aircraft deliveries will help Air India’s expansion, some challenges could lie ahead, an expert said. “If Air India is adding one aircraft a week, then yes, they would be matching IndiGo on the pace of supply additions,” said Shobit Singhal, associate director of Anand Rathi Institutional Equities.
But uncertainty over deliveries hangs over the order on Boeing, he said. “About 33% of Air India’s supply is with Boeing, while IndiGo’s is entirely with Airbus and, historically, Airbus deliveries have been faster than Boeing’s.”
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