Air India on January 29 announced a purchase order for 30 additional Boeing aircraft, comprising 20 737-8s and 10 737-10s. These 30 single-aisle aircraft are in addition to firm orders for 220 aircraft that Air India had placed with Boeing in 2023, bringing the total number of aircraft orders with Boeing to 250, the carrier said in a statement.
“Congratulations to @airindia and @Boeing_In on their announcement that Air India will add 30 additional @Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to its fleet. Every day, the Embassy works tirelessly to support opportunities that benefit both our countries!” US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
So far, the airline has received 52 aircraft out of the 220 initially ordered in 2023, including 51 737-8s currently in service with its subsidiary Air India Express, and an all-new 787-9, which will enter commercial service on the Mumbai-Frankfurt route from February 1, 2026, it said.
With this latest order, Air India will have a total of 198 new aircraft from Boeing.
Campbell Wilson, Chairman, Managing Director and Managing Director of Air India, said the additional order for 30 Boeing 737s is part of the airline’s broader fleet strategy to position itself as a world-class global carrier. “Building on our 2023 orders and subsequent additions, this order supports regular deliveries and planned fleet upgrades over the coming years,” he said.
Paul Righi, Boeing’s vice president of commercial sales and marketing for Eurasia, India and South Asia, said: “Air India’s order for more 737 MAX aircraft highlights the strong performance of its existing 737-8 fleet as it continues to expand connectivity across India and the South Asia region.
“We appreciate Air India’s confidence in the 737-10 and 737-8 to provide them with the capacity and versatility they need, a cornerstone of their single-aisle growth strategy,” he added.
Powered by CFM LEAP-1B engines, the Boeing 737 delivers exceptional fuel efficiency, passenger comfort and operational reliability for robust single-aisle operations.
Since its privatization in January 2022, the Air India Group has added nearly 170 aircraft to its fleet through a combination of new deliveries, strategic leases, merger with the erstwhile Vistara and reactivation of aircraft that have been grounded for a long time, marking significant progress in capacity expansion and fleet modernization, the statement added.
The announcement was made at Wings India 2026 in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu.
(With inputs from PTI)
