Air India's first wide-body A350-900 aircraft, sporting new brand livery, arrived in New Delhi from European aviation major Airbus' Toulouse facility in France.
The aircraft, registered as VT-JRA, touched down at the national capital's Indira Gandhi International Airport at 1346 hrs, making the Tata Group-owned airline the first aircraft operator in India to have this type of aircraft in its fleet, a statement said.
The delivery flight is operated using a special call sign AI350, it said.
The aircraft is the first of Air India's 20 Airbus A350-900 on order, with five more scheduled for delivery through March 2024, the airline said.
As part of its now rejigged 250 aircraft order with Airbus, Air India will acquire 40 A350s, comprising 20 each A350-900 and A350-1000 aircraft, along with 140 narrow-body A321neo and 70 A320neo planes.
The arrival of the first Airbus A350-900 is, in many ways, "a declaration of Indian aviation's resurgence on the world stage," Air India Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson said.
"As a symbol of the new age of flying, the A350 promises a world-class, long-haul travel experience on our non-stop routes. Its excellent flight economics and technology underscore our dedication to commercially successful operations and to achieving our sustainability goals," Mr. Wilson added.
The airline has already announced that initially this aircraft will be operated on short-haul routes and later be deployed for long-haul flights.
The new aircraft will enter commercial service in January next year, initially operating domestically for crew familiarisation, followed by longer-haul flying to destinations across continents, the airline said.
It also said that the schedule of commercial operations of the A350 will be announced in the coming weeks.
The 316-seater A350-900 aircraft comes in a three-class cabin configuration with 28 private business class suites with full-flat beds, 24 premium economy seats with extra legroom and 264 spacious economy class seats, Air India said.
