Air India owned by the Tata Group welcomed its first A320, a narrow-body aircraft wrapped up in the new brand livery at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, reported ANI on Sunday, July 7th.
The aircraft registered VT-RTN, arrived directly from the Airbus facility in Toulouse, France on Sunday.
The addition of the new aircraft to its existing fleet is a significant milestone in the brand's transformational journey, said the company reported ANI. The aircraft features a three-class configuration which includes eight business-class seats, a premium economy class with 24 seats, and a 132-seat economy class.
The new aircraft is one of the first to introduce the premium economy class in narrow-body aircraft. The A320 Neo is expected to enter service in August 2024, operating in domestic short-haul sectors.
Apart from this new addition, there are a total of three A320 Neo operating in India's domestic sectors but with the old Air India livery. The airline operator plans to enhance customer experience by offering new, upgraded and refurbished aircraft in both the narrow and wide-body fleets, early next year.
Air India was founded by J.R.D. Tata in the year 1932, and since then the airline has been put forward by the brand as an epitome of luxury. Air India has built a huge network of flight sectors both domestically and internationally. It covers destinations like the United States, Canada, Europe, South East Asia, and the Gulf countries.
In the present market, it comes second after the market leader Indigo, at 13 per cent individual market share, according to Directorate General of Civil Aviation data.
After 69 years of operating under the government of India, Tata Group bought it back in January 2022. Since then the brand has been focused on taking back market share by offering a full-service and luxury experience. The airline operator has been addressing issues like recruiting talent, servicing aircraft, getting new aircraft, upgrading technology, enhancing customer service, etc.
Air India is a member of the Star Alliance, the world's largest global airline consortium which enables connectivity for passengers worldwide.
