Air India Eyes Widebody Order As New CEO Sets Out Growth Plan

Air India’s growth plan under its new chief executive, Tewolde Gebremariam, centers on expanding long-haul capacity as part of a broader strategy to return the airline to profitability and strengthen its international network. The initiative aims to leverage India’s rising aviation market and to position the country as a global hub for air travel, according to Aviation Week’s report on the leadership’s roadmap.

Gebremariam indicated that Air India is actively considering further orders for widebody aircraft from both Boeing and Airbus as part of its push to grow international operations. This comes as the airline reviews its long-haul fleet needs in the context of expanding international routes and attempting to reclaim market share on the global stage, AeroTime reported.

Air India's current commitments include a substantial backlog of orders for widebody aircraft—totaling 80 widebodies as part of a 600-aircraft program with Boeing and Airbus. The commitments comprise 50 Airbus A350s, 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, and 10 Boeing 777Xs, with around 10 of the 80 widebodies already delivered, according to AeroTime’s coverage. The airline presently operates a fleet of 61 widebody aircraft, per the same reporting.

The airline’s leadership is weighing the potential implications of expanding its long-haul fleet to regain international market share from foreign competitors and to improve connectivity through its hubs in India. Gebremariam stressed the objective of increasing long-haul capacity and connectivity as part of a plan to become profitable “very soon,” while detailing that discussions with manufacturers are ongoing, as reported by AeroTime.

Air India’s network strategy includes evaluating the international routes and hubs to optimize operations in light of external pressures such as airspace restrictions. The CEO noted that Pakistan’s airspace restrictions are complicating long-haul operations, particularly for Delhi-originating flights to Europe and North America, with consideration being given to shifting more services to Mumbai where airspace constraints are less restrictive. This is mentioned in AeroTime’s coverage.

In its broader profitability push, Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express posted a combined net loss of approximately 222.4 billion rupees for the financial year ending March 2026, a figure that surpassed the prior year’s loss. Gebremariam identified high operating costs as a major concern and indicated that management is working to bring unit costs closer to industry averages, per AeroTime.

The expansion plan also contemplates the development of Bengaluru as a third major hub alongside Delhi and Mumbai, as the airline reframes its international network to support greater long-haul traffic and to improve passenger flow through strategic Indian gateways, according to the reporting on the event.

As part of the overall multi-year transformation since Air India’s return to Tata Group ownership in January 2022, the airline is pursuing growth as it contends with cost pressures and the need to modernize its fleet. The leadership’s ambitions include broadening international reach, strengthening market position on international routes, and leveraging India’s evolving aviation market to support global hub ambitions, with execution framed around widebody expansion and efficiency improvements, as described in Aviation Week and AeroTime.

Simple Flying’s coverage adds the context of Atlas Air’s recent fleet strategy shift, noting that major industry dynamics around freighter capacity and aircraft types are influencing broader market considerations. Atlas Air announced a formal order for 20 Airbus A350F freighters with options for 20 more, signaling a broader industry move toward Airbus in the freighter segment, but these details pertain to Atlas Air rather than Air India, and no direct connection to Air India’s orders was reported in the provided material.