Burdened with an ageing domestic airline fleet, the national carrier Air India is likely to receive the first of 12 advanced fuel-efficient Airbus A320 Neo planes in February and put them to use from March this year.
"The narrow-bodied Neos will be pressed into service on our domestic routes, where there is a growing demand. It will add to our overall domestic travel capacity," said Air India chairman Ashwani Lohani to THE WEEK.
The national carrier will receive the first aircraft on February 16. A second A320 Neo will join the Air India fleet in early March. However, both the aircraft will be put to use from March onwards.
Subsequently, Air India is likely to receive one aircraft every month from Airbus' California facility. These planes will be taken on a long-term lease.
Before Air India, A320neos were delivered in India to Indigo Airlines, its domestic competitor. Indigo received its first A320 Neo in August last year and has so far received two aircraft from an order of over 180 airplanes.
The A320neo with a “new engine option” incorporates many innovations, including latest generation engines and large Sharklet wing-tip devices, which together deliver 15 per cent in fuel savings from day one.
"This is equivalent to a reduction of 5,000 tonnes of CO2 per aircraft per year," Airbus said in a statement. Many additional passenger amenities will also be improved in this new line of the airliner.
