Air India will begin flying its first Airbus A350-900 starting January 22, initially serving domestic routes in India. This move comes after the airline received the wide-body jet in December last year. The Tata group airline has already started accepting bookings for these short routes.
The A350 will operate in various cities in India, flying every day except Tuesdays. The routes include Bengaluru – Mumbai – Chennai – Bengaluru – Chennai – Hyderabad – Bengaluru, with the Bengaluru-Delhi-Bengaluru route on Tuesdays. Air India also plans to deploy the A350 for long-haul flights to international destinations in the future.
The aircraft features a three-class cabin configuration, with a capacity for a total of 316 passengers. It has 28 private business class seats, 24 premium economy, and 264 economy class seats, offering varied experiences for different traveler needs.
In early February, Air India announced a historic order of 470 aircraft, the world’s second-largest single-aisle aircraft order, which includes 250 with Airbus and 220 with Boeing. The order with Airbus includes 70 A321neo, 140 A320neo, 34 A350-1000, and six A350-900.
Current Fleet and Reach of Air India
The airline currently operates a fleet of 127 aircraft, with 15 grounded. The A320neo in its fleet offers a range of 6,300 km, the A321neo up to 8,700 km, and the A350-900 has a range of about 15,500 km.
