Air India has ordered 34 trainer aircraft – 31 single-engine aircraft from Piper Aircraft based in the United States and 3 twin-engine aircraft from Diamond Aircraft in Austria. The aircraft concerned are for its upcoming flying training organisation (FTO) in Maharashtra ‘s Amravati.

The FTO is a leap forward in Air India’s commitment to bolster its training infrastructure as part of the Vihaan.AI transformation program and cultivate a pipeline of pilots as it expands its fleet, becoming self-reliant. The trainer aircraft, due for delivery in 2025, is equipped with glass cockpits, G1000 avionics systems and Jet A1 engines to ensure advanced training for aspiring pilots.

“The new FTO is a strategic move to exponentially expand our training infrastructure and our commitment to building a self-reliant ecosystem of qualified pilots for Air India and the Indian aviation industry. With this order of 34 trainer aircraft to support South Asia’s largest Flying Training Organisation, we are delighted to be playing a part in building the aviation infrastructure India needs as one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets and to support the government’s vision for an Atmanirbhar Bharat,” said Sunil Bhaskaran, Director, Aviation Academy, Air India.

Air India Orders 100 Airbus Aircraft

The TATA-owned carrier placed a 100 Airbus aircraft order in early December in addition to the 470 aircraft order with Boeing and Airbus last year. This order comprises 10 wide-body A350-900 aircraft and 90 narrow-body A320 family aircraft. The latest order takes the total number of Airbus aircraft from 250 to 350.

“With India’s passenger growth outpacing the rest of the world, its significantly improving infrastructure, and an aspirational young population increasingly going global, we see a clear case for Air India to expand its future fleet beyond the firm orders of the 470 aircraft placed last year,” said Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons and Air India.

Further, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said, “Having personally witnessed the formidable growth of the Indian aviation sector in recent months, I am glad to see Air India renew its trust in Airbus with this additional order for both our A320 family and A350 aircraft. Through this continued partnership, we are committed to supporting the success of Air India’s “Vihaan.AI” transformation plan under Tata’s vision and leadership.”