Air India Seeks More Widebodies on Top of 600-Plane Order Book

Air India is negotiating with Airbus and Boeing for additional widebody aircraft on top of a firm order book of 600 planes, 80 of them widebodies, even as the group posted consolidated losses of more than INR 220 billion ($2.3 billion) in fiscal 2026 — more than double the prior year.

CEO Tewolde Gebremariam disclosed the talks at the Aviation India and South Asia 2026 conference in New Delhi on Tuesday. His argument is capacity arithmetic: airlines must order aircraft years in advance so metal is on the ramp when demand arrives, and Air India's international ambitions exceed its current pipeline.

"We want to increase our order on widebody more," Gebremariam said.

Why more jets despite $2.3 billion in losses?

The order expansion is a market-share play. Gebremariam said the target is win-back traffic: third- and fourth-freedom India-international flying (routes where passengers travel to or from the carrier's home country, or between two foreign states via its hub) currently carried by foreign carriers. Air India also wants to grow international-to-international connections, which today account for only about 10% of its business.

"Air India has been punching below its weight in the market. That is going to change," he said.

The financial backdrop is stark. Costs outrun revenue, and the gap widened sharply year over year. "Our cost is greater than our revenue," Gebremariam said. He gave no timeframe for a return to profitability.

What changes in the hub network?

Geopolitics is forcing a redistribution of long-haul flying. The closure of Pakistani airspace has hit Delhi harder than Mumbai on westbound routings, and the airline is responding by moving capacity rather than absorbing the penalty.

The reshaped plan:

• More Europe and North America flying shifts to Mumbai
• Delhi reorients toward eastern and southeastern markets
• Bengaluru is under study as a third hub

For sellers of travel, the redistribution means schedule and connecting-bank changes on Air India's highest-value long-haul corridors, with Mumbai gaining westbound primacy.

Where do the cost savings come from?

Gebremariam said unit costs must come down to at least industry-average levels. A cross-functional team is pursuing savings across the operation, including shared corporate functions with Air India Express, the group's low-cost arm.

The brand architecture is also part of the plan. Full-service Air India is being pushed further upmarket while Air India Express holds the budget segment — a two-brand split that mirrors the dual-network strategies of Gulf and Southeast Asian rivals competing for the same connecting traffic.

No delivery dates, aircraft types, or order values for the additional widebodies were disclosed, and the talks with Airbus and Boeing remain open-ended. What is firm is the direction: more long-haul capacity, a rebalanced hub system, and cost discipline imposed while losses are still widening.