Air India has become the latest A320neo operator after taking delivery of the first of 14 aircraft leased from Kuwait headquartered ALAFCO Aviation Lease And Finance Company.
The oldest of A320s, MSN 24 joined the Indian Airlines (IC) fleet in 1987, when the cutting-edge, 'fly-by-wire' aircraft were as much a rage as the NEOs are today.. These A320s were specially configured, featuring 'double bogey' Main landing gear to cope with weaker runways in India. They were the mainstay of Indian Airlines' domestic and regional international fleet right through the 1990s and the 2000s, working alongside IA's jet fleet of A300s and B737-200s. They were the sole A320 operators in the 90s when all private operators chose to bring in Boeing narrow body jets. When IC and AI were merged in 2007, the old A320s got repainted in the Air India Livery.
Seven of those beauties are still operating today, although news reports that the National carrier plans to phase them out keep appearing in the headlines..
Indian Airlines next big wave of Airbus family inductions happened in 2006 when it placed an order for 43 aircraft comprising 20 A319s, four A320s and 19 A321s, valued at approximately $2.2 billion. Airbus began delivering these planes in 2007, bang in the midst of the merger process. These new airbuses allowed IC to phase out its ageing Boeing 737-200 fleet. Some of the 732s were hived off to Alliance Air and a few more were converted to cargo. Some of the A320 family deliveres were made in the new livery. A few A319s still sport this interim livery.
In 2015, Air India leased five winglet equipped A320s in an 'all economy' configuration from Chinese lessors in a bid to replace the ageing A320s. This was soon followed by the ALAFCO deal for 14 NEOs, which are being delivered now. Another eight NEOs will be sourced from GECAS and the airline has issued tenders for a further seven A320s.
Incidentally, according to Airbus, more than 6,000 professionals in India contribute directly and indirectly to all Airbus programmes through a network of over 45 Indian suppliers, and every aircraft produced today is partly made in India!
