Air India’s First A350 Enters Service
It was in February last year when Air India and Airbus confirmed a deal for 250 aircraft. While the majority of the order comprised single-aisle jets from the A320 family, the agreement covered 40 A350 widebody jets. Of them, the first Airbus A350-900, in Air India’s new livery, was delivered in December 2023. Although intended for long-haul routes, that aircraft has entered commercial service in India.
Air India’s and India’s first Airbus A350-900 will currently operate on domestic routes to ensure that the crew is familiarised and all the regulatory compliances are met. The locations it will serve include Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
Barring Tuesdays, on which it will fly between Bengaluru and Delhi only, the A350-900 will serve passengers from Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The aircraft, powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines, has 316 seats: 28 private Business suites with full-flat beds, 24 Premium Economy seats and 264 Economy seats.
Besides the deal mentioned above with Airbus, Air India has also ordered up to 290 jets from Boeing.
