Air India seeks more widebodies and cost cuts

Air India plans to seek additional widebody aircraft as it tries to regain international traffic and reduce costs, new chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam said at the Aviation India and South Asia summit in New Delhi. He did not disclose how many aircraft the airline might add or when it could place an order. Gebremariam said Air India is discussing its plans with Airbus and Boeing. Its existing orders include 80 widebody aircraft: 50 Airbus A350s, 20 Boeing 787s and 10 Boeing 777Xs. He said the airline’s network and strategy require more widebodies, which are commonly used on long-haul routes. The airline’s immediate priority, he said, is to recover international market share and increase international-to-international connecting traffic. Air India also wants to strengthen overseas sales and points of sale, according to Gebremariam, to balance revenue from outside India and manage currency fluctuations. Air India is reviewing how it distributes flights between Delhi and Mumbai in response to airspace restrictions, which Gebremariam said affect Delhi more. The airline plans to increase Europe and North America services from Mumbai, while pursuing growth toward Southeast and...