DGCA greenlights Air India, IndiGo's aircraft imports

New Delhi, Aug 1

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted in-principle approval to Air India and IndiGo for the import of 470 and 500 aircraft, respectively, the Parliament was told on Monday.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Gen V.K. Singh (retd), in a written reply, told the Rajya Sabha that the details of the aircraft approved for import by the DGCA are enclosed as an annexure, but information regarding the cost of acquisition of these aircraft, being of commercial nature between the airline and the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), is not available.

Meanwhile, the DGCA said that the availability of parking slots is ensured at the time of granting NOC for the actual import of aircraft.

"As per the airlines' induction plan, the aircraft are proposed to be imported during the period 2023-2035. The airline operators have been advised by DGCA to share their induction plan with airport operators to ensure availability of parking slots," said the DGCA in a statement.

Air India has unveiled its plans to procure a substantial fleet of aircraft, with a vision to import a total of 210 A320Neo aircraft, 140 B737 aircraft, 40 A350 aircraft, 10 B777-9 aircraft, 20 B787-9 aircraft, and 50 B737-8 aircraft. In addition, IndiGo airlines recently made an unprecedented announcement, ordering 500 Airbus A320 Family aircraft. The delivery of these aircraft is scheduled to take place between the years 2030 and 2035.

The purchase agreement was formally concluded at the Paris Air Show in 2023, with representatives from both IndiGo and Airbus in attendance to solidify this landmark deal.