Private carrier Air India on Thursday said it will convert 15 of its current order of 210 Airbus A321neo aircraft to the advanced A321XLR (extra long range) variant.
These 15 A321XLRs are expected to be delivered to the airline between 2029 and 2030, Air India said.
The decision to tweak the order was announced on the sidelines of the ongoing Wings India aviation show in Hyderabad.
The fuel-efficient A321XLR offers a range of up to 4,700 nautical miles (or 8,700 kilometers) and this will enable Air India to open new non-stop international routes and optimise high-demand, medium-haul international services, with the flight economics of a single-aisle aircraft, the airline said.
Air India has placed orders for a total of 350 planes with Airbus (300 in 2023 and another 50 in 2024), comprising 50 widebody A350 and 300 single-aisle A320 family aircraft, including 210 A321 neo and 90 A320 neo.
Of the 210 A321neo on order, 15 aircraft order is now being converted to A321XLR, while the remainder 90 A320neo remain as originally structured, Air India said.
“The strategic conversion of a portion of our single-aisle Airbus aircraft orders to the A321XLR is in line with our effort of positioning Air India for the future,” said Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Air India.
While Air India has been transforming its current fleet at an accelerated pace with new and retrofitted aircraft, Campbell said, “We are also carefully building our future fleet that, with scale and versatility, serves the rapidly evolving needs of travellers from and to India.”
Air India said it has to take deliveries of 542 new aircraft, including 344 with Airbus, of its total firm orders for 600 aircraft.
“Air India’s decision to select the A321XLR is a significant endorsement of this game-changing aircraft.
The A321XLR is proving to be a revenue generator by boosting frequencies, managing seasonality, and optimising capacity on medium-haul routes,” said Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus Executive Vice President of Commercial Aircraft Sales.
