Air India Leases All Available Planes Around the World, Says CEO

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson has said that the airline has leased every aircraft available globally that fits their needs. According to him, there are no more planes left to lease in the market right now. This is because there is a global shortage of aircraft, and plane makers like Airbus and Boeing are not able to deliver new planes quickly due to production delays.

Over the past two years, Air India placed huge orders for new planes—470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing in 2023, and another 100 Airbus planes last year. But because of manufacturing delays, the airline has not received all the planes yet. This has forced Air India to keep using some of its older aircraft for longer than planned, which increases maintenance work and costs.

To deal with the shortage, Air India leased as many planes as it could from around the world. But now, the CEO says they’ve reached the limit—there are simply no more planes left to lease. He also mentioned that the shortage may continue for the next few years.

Wilson also talked about how India should carefully manage international flying agreements. He believes India should only allow more international flights when there is real demand for them, so that the benefits of air travel—like jobs and money—stay within the country instead of going to foreign airlines and airports.

Even with these challenges, Air India is not slowing down. The airline is currently in talks with Airbus and Boeing again to order around 200 more single-aisle planes to continue growing its fleet.

In short, Air India is doing everything it can to keep growing—even during a global shortage of planes—and wants to make sure India gets the most benefit from its air travel industry.