Air India (AI/AIC) is the Indian flag carrier with big ambitions. In the last 3 years the airline has placed some of the largest aircraft orders on record, and undergone a $400 million rebrand and refurbishment program. It has not all been plane sailing for the airline, with the tragic loss of Air India flight AI171 in June 2025 proving a sad chapter in their recent history. Despite this, the carrier’s drive to grow continues. Air India has operated countless iconic aircraft throughout its history, as well as boasting some some very highly regarded liveries (we’re looking at you, Palace livery Boeing 747), but following such significant orders and a drive towards modernisation, where does the Air India fleet stand today? Let’s take a look.
The Air India fleet today
We last reviewed the Air India mainline fleet back in August 2024, and the scale of expansion in that short time has been notable. The fleet today boasts a total of 189 aircraft (a 33% increase on August 2024).
The data shows us that Airbus narrowbodies have mostly been responsible for Air India’s fleet growth over the past 15 months, with 46 additional Airbus A320neo and 6 Airbus A321neo aircraft coming online since our last review. The majority of these aircraft have been absorbed from the now defunct Vistara (UK/VTI).
The newest Air India aircraft
The newest narrowbody jet in the fleet is VT-RIO, An Airbus A320neo built in July 2024 and based in Delhi (DEL). The aircraft is typically operated between 4-6 times daily and flies to destinations including Kolkata (CCU), Mumbai (BOM) and Bengaluru (BLR). This was also the newest narrowbody at the time of our last review, neatly indicating the expansion of the fleet following the merger with Vistara.
The newest widebody jet in service with Air India is VT-JRI, an Airbus A350-941 built in September 2023. Mostly performing domestic flights within India at the time of our last review, the aircraft now operates primarily to London (LHR), New York (JFK) and from its base in Delhi.
The oldest Air India aircraft
The oldest narrowbody aircraft in the Air India fleet is VT-SCF, a 17-year-old Airbus A319-112 built in October 2006. This aircraft, built as MSN02907, operates daily flights to airports including Phuket (HKT), Vadodara (BDQ) and Coimbatore (CJB) from its base in Dehli (DEL).
The oldest widebody aircraft is VT-ALJ, a 16-year-old Boeing 777-337(ER) built in September 2007. Based in Delhi (DEL), this aircraft operates domestic flights to destinations including Mumbai (BOM) and Chennai (MAA), as well as international routes to Toronto (YYZ), New York (JFK) and Chicago (ORD). The aircraft currently wears Air India’s ‘Star Alliance’ livery.
Air India Express
Air India Express (IX/AXB) is a wholly owned low-cost subsidiary of Air India. It operates 114 narrowbody aircraft as of October 2025, a mix of Boeing and Airbus models.
The newest aircraft in the Air India Express fleet is VT-RTI, an Airbus A320neo built as MSN11844 in December 2023. Based in Amritsar (ATQ), the aircraft operates around 4 flights daily to destinations including Delhi (DEL), Sharjah (SHJ), and Surat (STV).
The oldest aircraft in the Air India Express fleet is VT-AXI, a Boeing 737-8HG built in December 2006 as MSN36324. This aircraft operates daily to a variety of destinations including Dubai (DXB), Kuwait City (KWI) and Muscat (MCT) from its base in Cochin (COK).
Have you flown with Air India or Air India Express? Share your experience in the comments.
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Cover photo: Yago Ortiz, JetPhotos.
