Air India (AI, Delhi International) has introduced one of its four A321-200NXs into revenue service, with VT-RTD (msn 11183) commencing scheduled flights on June 10, initially flying on the Delhi International - Mumbai route. The jet is one of four A321-200NX that the carrier has taken delivery of this year.
According to ADS-B data, VT-RTD operated two sectors on June 10, and five sectors on both June 11 and 12. It is flying various domestic routes, including Delhi - Mumbai, Lucknow - Mumbai, and Hyderabad International - Mumbai. Air India is reportedly basing all four of the A321neo at Delhi's Indira Gandhi Airport, with VT-RTB (msn 11113), VT-RTC (msn 11156), and VT-RTE (msn 11260), all now at that airport undergoing maintenance. ch-aviation has contacted Air India for further information on the rollout of the type.
Air India's first four A321neo were originally bound for Russian carriers before sanctions thwarted those plans. Their arrival was notable because it was 13 years since Air India last took delivery of an A321 aircraft type and four years after the airline last took delivery of a narrowbody. Tata Sons acquired the carrier in early 2022 in a USD2.4 billion equity and debt deal. Since then, Tata has set about modernising the airline, including merging brands and placing a massive order for 470 aircraft earlier this year. That order included a firm commitment for seventy A321-200neo.
According to ch-aviation fleets data, Air India currently operates 121 aircraft, including twenty A319-100s, nine A320-200s, twenty-seven A320-200Ns, fourteen A321-200s, the four A321-200NX, seven B777-200LRs, thirteen B777-300ERs, and twenty-seven B787-8s. The airline flies to 83 destinations in 29 countries.
