Air-India (A-I) has kickstarted the new year with a new aircraft. A brand new Boeing 777-200LR (longer range) craft, christened ‘Gujarat’ by A-I in keeping its policy of naming Boeing 777s after the various states of India, was inducted on Wednesday.

The 238-seater is A-I’s fourth Boeing 777-200LR and its 17th Boeing aircraft. The fifth Boeing 777-200LR is expected to be inducted next month. The new aircraft is likely to be deployed for the non-stop Delhi-New York service A-I is launching on February 8 this year. The aircraft arrived in Delhi from Seattle. The 238-seater aircraft will have eight seats in the first class, 35 in the executive class and 195 in the economy class. A total of eight Boeing 777-200LRs have been ordered by A-I.

In December 2005, A-I had ordered 68 aircraft from Boeing. It has received 17 aircraft so far — four B777-200LRs, three Boeing 777-300ERs and 10 B737-800s — for Air-India Express, its budget airline. A-I is looking at getting 17 new aircraft this year, to be inducted in a phased manner. Three brand new Canadian Regional Jets will also be leased for short-haul routes. Starting with a non-stop flight from Delhi to New York in February 2008, A-I is looking at Bangalore-San Francisco connectivity by mid-2008 aboard another Boeing 777-200LR. A-I has already introduced two direct flights to Singapore and Hong Kong. On the domestic front, its three new Canadian Regional Jets will fly along short-haul regional routes.

The new aircraft to be inducted next year include five Boeing 777s, four Boeing 737s, eight Airbuses, with five A321s, three A319s and three Canadian Regional Jets. A-I will get three A319s in the latter half of 2008 and five A321s by August 2008. Another four Boeing 737-300 ERs and 737-800s besides a 777-200 will be inducted next year.

... contd.