Air India Receives Delivery of First Set of Airbus A350 Jets

At the Paris Airshow 2023, Air India finalized its order of 470 aircraft, which it signed with both Boeing and Airbus. This order included 70 widebody aircraft: 40 A350, 20 B787 and 10 B777X. Initially, the Airbus A350 order included 6 A350-900 and 34 A350-1000 jets.

But later, in December 2023, the airline made some changes to its order book. It reshaped the A350 order to 20 A350-900 and 20 A350-1000. The first set of six Airbus A350s was set to be delivered by May 2024. With the latest induction today, Air India has completed the delivery of all 6 A350s.

Air India Takes Delivery of First Set of Airbus A350

Yesterday, at 11:10 PM (IST), the sixth Airbus A350 for Air India departed from Toulouse Blagnac International Airport (TLS) for Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL). This aircraft, MSN 594 is registered as VT-JRI. With this, Air India now has a fleet of six Airbus A350 aircraft. Let us now take a look at the short story between Air India and the Airbus A350 until now.

Even before the massive Air India order was announced, the market was sure that Air India would be receiving the Airbus A350s which were left abandoned by Aeroflot because of sanctions imposed on Russia by the European Union. The order was eventually announced, and the airline leadership confirmed the plans to induct the former Aeroflot-destined jets.

On October 24, 2023, it was the first time that an Airbus A350 was spotted with the new Air India livery. Flickr User A380_TLS_A350 spotted the aircraft and posted the picture on his timeline. Aviation enthusiasts went in awe with the pictures.

Air India: First Airbus A350 Delivery

Since its first sighting, numerous pictures of Air India’s new Airbus A350 circulated widely. But then came the day, for which everyone was waiting. On December 23, 2023, the first Airbus A350 registered as VT-JRA departed from Toulouse for Delhi for its delivery flight. This was not Air India’s first A350, but it was the first A350 for India.

Upon arrival at Delhi Airport, it was welcomed with a water salute. Air India later conducted the launch ceremony of the aircraft, in which the Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurated the aircraft.

After December, the airline received one A350 in February and March each. These were registered as VT-JRB and VT-JRE. In April month, it received two A350s: VT-JRH and VT-JRF. The final of the first 6 A350 was delivered on 13 May 2024, concluding the first set of deliveries.

Air India Airbus A350 Interior

All these aircraft were previously destined for Aeroflot. Hence, they retained the interiors of Aeroflot. Air India did some soft refurbishment at Toulouse, for example- Seat cover change, replacing the Aeroflot logo with the Air India one, and updating the software of the In-Flight Entertainment System.

Unlike the Boeing 777 fleet of Air India, these A350 does not bear the first class cabin. They are configured with three cabins. In the front cabin, the aircraft has 28 Business Class seats in a 1-2-1 layout, which means that all business class suites have aisle access. With one touch of a button, they can be converted to lie-flat beds.

In the middle, there is a Premium Economy Cabin. The airline offers 24 Premium Economy seats across three rows. These seats have a layout of 2-4-2. Finally, there are 264 Economy Class seats in a 3-3-3 layout. The IFE across all the cabins is the same: Panasonic eX3. Air India features the new in-flight safety video onboard the Airbus A350.

A350 Domestic Operations Launch

Before the launch of commercial operations, Air India showcased its Airbus A350 at Wings India Event 2024, which was held at Hyderabad Begumpet Airport in January. After the showcasing, the aircraft was ferried to Bengaluru Airport for the launch of commercial operations.

On January 22, 2024, the aircraft was pressed into domestic commercial operations. It started operations with Bengaluru to Mumbai as its launch flight. Air India, then operated a lot of domestic flights with the Airbus A350 for crew familiarization purposes. It deployed the aircraft in almost all the major cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad. Kolkata is maybe the only major city devoid of A350 operations.

For India, the Airbus A350 was a new aircraft. Hence, for a new aircraft type to start international operations, the launch operator needs to operate at least 100 sectors domestically. Once it succeeds in doing so, it is allowed to operate the aircraft internationally. Within two months, Air India was allowed to operate foreign flights with its new aircraft.

International Launch of the A350

Everyone was anticipating that once Air India received the international nod, it would press the A350 into long-haul operations. But Air India has a different mindset. It announced that the aircraft would be initially deployed on the Delhi to Dubai route.

On May 1, it launched the Airbus A350 internationally, with its maiden flight to Dubai International Airport (DXB). It is currently operating daily flights between Delhi and Dubai. Moreover, from June 1, Air India will be deploying the A350 on Mumbai to Dubai route. This flight will also be operated daily, replacing the current Boeing 787 Dreamliner product.

However, this deployment is limited until Aug 31. After this date, the Boeing 787 will again take over the operations on both Dubai-bound routes. So, there is a high chance that Air India may fly the A350 on long-haul routes from September month. Stay tuned for further updates.

The next Airbus A350 delivery is now expected in 2025. This aircraft, whenever it is delivered will feature the interiors of Air India itself. The airline has already signed a deal with RECARO seating for the supply of more than 22,000 seats for the refurbishment of its legacy widebody fleet.

Conclusion

In this article, we had a look at Air India and its short Airbus A350. We talked about the announcement of the A350 order. Then, we discussed the change in the order book. Furthermore, we talked about first delivery, inauguration, showcasing, interior, domestic operations launch, international operations launch, and potential long-haul operations timeline.

Have you traveled with Air India Airbus A350? If yes, discuss your opinion in the comment section.