NEW DELHI: Tata Group-owned Air India is planning to undertake more maintenance work of the aircraft under its own quality control amid several instances of its older planes facing operational issues, according to a senior company official. Airlines are using the engineering skills available to them.
The official also said the airline is keen to lease the aircraft but the market is very tight, especially for wide-body aircraft.
Following the acquisition by Tata Group in 2022, loss-making Air India is making reform efforts and has launched a five-year transformation plan.
To more effectively address engineering issues, the official said Air India is looking to utilize the licensing and skills of group airlines to do certain things on certain types of aircraft as well as bring the line maintenance component work in-house. Used to be.
Such an approach would help Air India carry out "maintenance work under our own quality control", the official said on condition of anonymity.Air India is setting up a maintenance base in Bengaluru and the facility will be operational by the end of next year.
The group has four airlines – Air India, Air India Express, AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India), and Vistara.
Some aircraft are being systematically upgraded to bring them up to a healthy standard. These are old Boeing 787s and 777s, the official said, speaking on the sidelines of IATA's annual general meeting in Dubai this week.
The Boeing 777-200 LR is the smallest fleet and operates to the US west coast.When something goes wrong with one of them, there are relatively few people to substitute and carry out that mission. A disruption could have a major impact, the official said.
In recent weeks, at least four ultra long-haul flights of Air India operated by Boeing 777 aircraft faced excessive delays due to technical and operational issues.
Air India has at least 43 older wide-body aircraft – 16 Boeing 777 and 27 Boeing 787.
At a conference in the national capital earlier this week, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said the airline will refurbish more than 100 aircraft, including 40 wide-body aircraft, and almost Order for 25,000 aircraft seats has been placed.On plans to lease more aircraft to address the problems faced with older aircraft operating ultra long-haul flights, the official said airlines would be happy to lease aircraft but the market is very tight, especially wide-body ones. For planes.
Currently, the carrier is also operating wide-body aircraft leased from Delta Air Lines and Etihad Airways.
While the airline sees continued opportunities for expansion, the official said it is also aware of the unreliability of the older aircraft and efforts are on to bring them up to standard as well as replace them with new aircraft.
Last year, Air India had ordered 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing, including 70 wide-body aircraft.
The carrier already operates six A350s, which will be used more on international routes in the coming months.As part of the integration of the Tata Group's airline business, AIX Connect is merging with Air India Express, and Vistara is merging with Air India. Both mergers are expected to be completed by the end of this year.
The official also said the airline is keen to lease the aircraft but the market is very tight, especially for wide-body aircraft.
Following the acquisition by Tata Group in 2022, loss-making Air India is making reform efforts and has launched a five-year transformation plan.
To more effectively address engineering issues, the official said Air India is looking to utilize the licensing and skills of group airlines to do certain things on certain types of aircraft as well as bring the line maintenance component work in-house. Used to be.
Such an approach would help Air India carry out "maintenance work under our own quality control", the official said on condition of anonymity.Air India is setting up a maintenance base in Bengaluru and the facility will be operational by the end of next year.
The group has four airlines – Air India, Air India Express, AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India), and Vistara.
Some aircraft are being systematically upgraded to bring them up to a healthy standard. These are old Boeing 787s and 777s, the official said, speaking on the sidelines of IATA's annual general meeting in Dubai this week.
The Boeing 777-200 LR is the smallest fleet and operates to the US west coast.When something goes wrong with one of them, there are relatively few people to substitute and carry out that mission. A disruption could have a major impact, the official said.
In recent weeks, at least four ultra long-haul flights of Air India operated by Boeing 777 aircraft faced excessive delays due to technical and operational issues.
Air India has at least 43 older wide-body aircraft – 16 Boeing 777 and 27 Boeing 787.
At a conference in the national capital earlier this week, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said the airline will refurbish more than 100 aircraft, including 40 wide-body aircraft, and almost Order for 25,000 aircraft seats has been placed.On plans to lease more aircraft to address the problems faced with older aircraft operating ultra long-haul flights, the official said airlines would be happy to lease aircraft but the market is very tight, especially wide-body ones. For planes.
Currently, the carrier is also operating wide-body aircraft leased from Delta Air Lines and Etihad Airways.
While the airline sees continued opportunities for expansion, the official said it is also aware of the unreliability of the older aircraft and efforts are on to bring them up to standard as well as replace them with new aircraft.
Last year, Air India had ordered 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing, including 70 wide-body aircraft.
The carrier already operates six A350s, which will be used more on international routes in the coming months.As part of the integration of the Tata Group's airline business, AIX Connect is merging with Air India Express, and Vistara is merging with Air India. Both mergers are expected to be completed by the end of this year.
