Boeing and Air India announced that the airline has ordered 30 more fuel-efficient 737 MAX jets, expanding its Boeing order book to nearly 200 airplanes across the company’s single-aisle and widebody airplane families.
The airline finalised an incremental purchase of 20 737-8 jets this month, and an order for 10 737-10 airplanes was previously unidentified on Boeing’s Orders & Deliveries website.
Both purchases exercised existing options as Air India expands its route network to meet rising travel demand.
Campbell Wilson, CEO and managing director of Air India, said: “This additional order for 30 Boeing 737 aircraft is part of our broader fleet strategy to position Air India firmly for the future, as a world-class global carrier that India deserves and the world expects.
“Building on our 2023 orders and subsequent additions, this order supports steady deliveries and fleet upgrades planned over the next few years.”
Air India will operate the new 737-8s, leveraging their dispatch reliability, fuel efficiency and range flexibility on high-frequency, domestic and short-haul regional routes.
The airline also plans to deploy the larger 737-10 to maintain operational commonality and carry more passengers at the lowest cost per seat among single-aisle aircraft.
Paul Righi, Boeing vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing, Eurasia, India and South Asia, said: “Air India’s order for more 737 MAX jets underscores the strong performance of their existing 737-8 fleet as they continue to expand connectivity across India and the South Asia region.
“We value Air India’s confidence in the 737-10 and 737-8 to provide the capacity and versatility they need as a cornerstone of their single-aisle growth strategy.”
As Air India expands its fleet and network, Boeing’s Commercial Market Outlook forecasts the Indian and South Asian region will need nearly 3,300 new airplanes over the next two decades, with 90% of those single-aisle jets like the 737 MAX.
