Air India to lease six planes as poor interiors delay flights to North America | Latest news from India
The aircraft, which will arrive by October, will be leased for two years and be available for flight operations within three months
Air India plans to lease six B777 aircraft for the first time in at least 10 years, officials aware of the matter said, adding that this was done mainly because poor interiors were delaying flights to North America.
An official said flights to the US and Canada, particularly to Vancouver, have been delayed due to faulty seats recently. “Considering the impact on the airline’s operations, it has been decided that the airline will lease six B777s to operate its ultra-long-haul flights [lasting over 16 hours),” an airline official said, requesting anonymity. “The [existing] aircraft have no other problems.”[ads1];
According to Flightradar24, which provides real-time flight information globally, Air India’s Delhi-Vancouver flight was repeatedly delayed, including 11 hours on July 10.
The aircraft will be leased for two years and used for flight operations within three months. “The planes are set to arrive by October and will be operated in addition to the current planes…” the official said.
Another official cited current demand and added the airline’s plans to either increase the frequency of flights or add destinations. “The six leased aircraft will not replace the previous ones, but will be an addition to the fleet.”
The airline separately plans to buy around 50 Airbus A350-900 and 100 A321neo aircraft and take them into service by the middle of next year. Last month, the airline asked its pilots to prepare for training on the A350-900 planes.
Air India has a fleet of 141 narrow and wide Airbus and Boeing aircraft.
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