Air India Reportedly Leasing Boeing 777s Phased Out By Delta

The leased jets will fly to AI's North American destinations.



Even as the Tata Group looks to consolidate Air India's long-term fleet expansion by planning to place a firm order, it also wants to build capacity for immediate operations. As reported earlier, the airline is looking to lease six 777 airplanes for short-term use, and the latest report suggests that they could come from Delta Air Lines' fleet of phased-out 777s.

From Delta to Air India

The Tata Group is keen on leasing six Boeing 777 aircraft to expand their North American operations. With any new aircraft from a potential order likely to take some time to actively join Air India's fleet, the carrier is looking at other options to meet its immediate demands.

And six 777s, which previously flew for Delta Air Lines, are top contenders for the job. According to a report by The Economic Times, sources familiar with the matter say that six Boeing 777-200 airplanes, which were part of the 18 777s phased out by Delta, will join AI's fleet by October.

Delta Air Lines phased out ten 777-200LRs and eight 777-200ERs. While the report does not clarify which variant will join Air India, it is likely to be the 777-200ER, as Air India itself is looking to phase out all three of its gas-guzzling -200LRs.

The Tatas want to milk the upcoming festival season starting in October, which sees plenty of traffic, and the leased 777s are expected to beef up the much-needed capacity for its North American operations.

Air India is also planning to fix its grounded planes – including widebodies – to further bolster international operations in the immediate future.

25 leased A320neos, too, will join next year

While the airline is reportedly in the final stages of signing a deal for hundreds of narrowbody and widebody jets, it is also looking to explore the secondary lease market for its short-haul needs.

The ET report says that the leased Airbus A320neos will join AI next year to increase capacity on domestic routes, something the new owners are very mindful of to strengthen the carrier's local market. A source was quoted as saying,

“These aircraft are being leased for a shorter duration to bridge the gap till new aircraft join.”

Air India recently announced 24 additional domestic flights to regain some control over the domestic sector. The leased jets are expected to further increase its market share within India.

Full steam ahead

The last six months have seen significant development within Air India. Its new owners started implementing changes right from day one, and the results are already visible. From investing in better technology and more aircraft to focusing more on customer satisfaction and network expansion, Air India seems to have started its healing process.

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Even Air India Express will take five Boeing 737 aircraft from Vistara, which it had leased after Jet Airways went down. The planes will help the budget carrier double down on the lucrative Middle East market for the upcoming holiday season as well as add new destinations. The Tatas are said to have extended the lease period of all five 737s.