Air India plans to reduce its fleet size in an effort to cut costs, mainly by retiring older aircraft and returning leased aircraft.
The national carrier aims to reduce its fleet size to 105 from 146 aircraft, says an airline spokesman. The reduction will be completed by March 2011.
He was responding to Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel's comments in parliament that the carrier would cut its fleet size.
The spokesman says the airline will retire older aircraft, mainly Airbus A320s and Boeing 747-400s, which have been in the fleet since at least the early nineties.
Air India will also return leased aircraft, such as 777s, A319s and A320s, when their lease periods are up, he says.
Most of the carrier's fleet will be less than three years old after the older aircraft are removed, adds the spokesman.
"We have six more A321s and A319s coming between now and year-end, and we will receive five more next year," he says.
The aircraft are part of an order for 68 Boeing aircraft and 43 Airbus aircraft placed in 2005. Air India said in October that it plans to defer the delivery of three 777-300ERs for up to two years.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
