DELHI- Tata-owned Air India (AI) has taken delivery of the sixth Airbus A350, registered as VT-JRI Today (May 14, 2024).
This is the final A350 that will have Russian flag carrier Aeroflot (SU) interior with minimum upgrades.
Air India Final A350
Indian full-service carrier has ordered 40 Airbus A350 aircraft out of that 20 are A350-900 and 20 A350-1000.
So far 6 of 20 A350-900 has been delivered to Air India and this is most probably the last A350 delivery for Air India for 2024.
The Gurugram-based carrier is also expected to take the first Airbus A320neo (VT-RTN) in a new Air India livery in the coming days.
If we speak about the next A350 delivery, the exact timeline is not yet known but it will take more time than expected as Airbus has a pile of pending deliveries for previous A350 orders.
As of April 2024, Airbus has received the order of 1278 A350s and delivered around 598 A350s to 60 airlines and leasing firms combined.
Delivery Flight
According to FlightRadar24 data, the Air India A350-900 registered as VT-JRI took off from Toulouse (TLS) at 5:41 AM UTC.
My friend Robin Hardy, the aviation enthusiast and planespotter was the first to capture the departure from Toulouse. Here are some of his captures, make sure you follow him for such stunning metal bird shots:
After being airborne for almost 8 hours, the flight landed safely at Delhi (DEL) at around 1:53 AM UTC (7:23 AM IST).
The aircraft will support Air India’s International expansion plan which includes launching New destinations in North America and increasing flight frequencies.
Air India plans to launch new long-haul destinations such as Dallas (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX) and Seattle (SEA)
Also, Air India Group has reported that their international operations exceeded 50% in the last 2 years and their cargo capacity increased by 34% year-on-year.
Meger with Vistara
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson and Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan jointly conducted a town hall meeting on Monday, May 13. The meeting emphasized the ongoing integration between the two airlines, with Kannan leading as the Chief Integration Officer.
During the town hall, it was disclosed that the organizational structure for the merged entity has been finalized, prioritizing merit and competency for the placement of existing employees within the new framework.
Both companies have pledged to maintain transparency with employees regarding the criteria utilized for crafting the organizational structure and the placement process.
This merger is poised to establish India’s largest full-service carrier. To facilitate the integration, approximately 120 pilots have been seconded between Vistara and Air India, with over 60 Vistara employees already assuming roles in Air India.
The employee ratio between Air India and Vistara has been upheld at 12:5 since the inception of the integration process.
We will make a separate and detailed post soon and will share the link here.
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