First Airbus A320neo of Air India in New Livery Spotted

Air India revealed its new livery in August last year. The airline inducted its first aircraft painted in the new livery in December month. Now, the first Airbus A320neo in the new paint scheme has been spotted by eagle-eyed planespotters at Toulouse Blagnac International Airport.

Air India: First A320 in New Livery Spotted

Air India inducted the first jet in the new Air India livery in December month. The first aircraft was an Airbus A350 bearing VT-JRA as registration. Currently, the airline has four Airbus A350 in its fleet, all of which are painted in the new livery.

Now, Air India is getting ready for the delivery of the first A320neo in new livery. An aviation photographer, who posts his awesome photos on Flickr with the username – A380_TLS_A350 has clicked the first pictures of this jet. You can check the pics of the aircraft in the tweet attached below.

This aircraft will be the first narrowbody in Air India’s fleet to adorn the new livery. It has been assigned with Manufacturer Serial Number (MSN) 12156. It is under production at Toulouse. This airframe has been assigned with test registration: F-WWDQ. It will receive Indian registration: VT-RTN and will be configured with 186 seats in an all-economy configuration. Two CFM LEAP-1A26 engines will power this aircraft. Currently, only the tail of the aircraft is painted. The fuselage and wings will be painted later.

 

During the production of an aircraft, the rudder is painted first to maintain proper balance during flight. Uneven weight distribution due to paint on one side can disrupt the aircraft’s balance and affect flight control.

Air India: Why New A320neos Were Painted in Old Livery?

Since privatization, Air India has taken delivery of 17 Airbus A320neos and 4 Airbus A321neos. All of these jets were painted in the old livery. Even after the new livery reveal, the airline continued to take delivery of narrowbody jets in the old livery. There is a specific reason behind this. These newly delivered aircraft were part of a lease agreement signed by Air India in 2022. The airline signed a lease agreement for 25 narrowbody and 6 Boeing 777-300ER jets. Since these jets are part of an older agreement, they were painted in old livery.

 

Now, Air India is expected to take the delivery of the first Airbus A320neo from the order of 470 aircraft placed at Paris Airshow 2023. Since this aircraft comes under the new agreement, it is painted in the new livery.

The new livery of Air India features a mix of deep red, aubergine, and gold color. The airline has bid goodbye to the older Sun-Konark logo and has welcomed the new Vista Logo. The new logo is inspired by the Jharokha windows. There is a web pattern on the aircraft tail, showcasing a chakra pattern. The airline has inherited the aubergine color from Vistara, as both airlines are eyeing a merger.

Air India A350 International Launch

Air India inducted its first Airbus A350 in December 2023. The aircraft entered into commercial operations in January month. Since then, it has been operating domestic commercial services for crew familiarization purposes. Now, the airline has operated more than 100 domestic services. As per the norms by the Indian aviation regulator, any new aircraft type is required to operate 100 domestic sectors before flying internationally.

 

Since Air India has completed 100 domestic sectors with the A350, it has announced the launch of international services with the aircraft. From 1 May, the A350 will operate daily flights between Delhi and Dubai, replacing the Boeing 787. Between 1 May and 30 August, it will operate on this short-haul international route. Information regarding the schedule after April is not available in the public domain.

Thanking Note