Air India will take delivery of its first seven Boeing B787 Dreamliner aircraft between November this year and March next year.
Air India currently has a total of 27 Dreamliners on order. After the first seven are delivered, another seven will be received in stages leading up to 2014 and the remaining 13 thereafter, the carrier’s two senior executives told the Dow Jones Newswire.
The new aircraft will not only facilitate Air India’s future expansion plans but will also be used on its existing international medium-haul routes, because currently the carrier does not have a fleet of dedicated medium-haul aircraft. Instead, B777s are used on these routes.
Furthermore, a younger, fuel-efficient fleet would help enhance Air India’s tarnished reputation due to its recent struggles with pilot strikes (see story here) and inability to meet Star Alliance’s final deadline for membership (see story here).
For more information, visit www.airindia.in
Alisha Haridasani
