Boeing 777s Removed By Air India

Air India is saying farewell to Boeing 777s as it returns aircraft to Delta, which were being leased.

Reports that five of the airline’s 777-200LR aircraft, which were present for long-haul operations, are going to be returned by March 2026.

The move to axe the aircraft follows reports from sources speaking with PTI, stating that the five planes have already had two units taken out of service for maintenance-related reasons.

Air India’s fleet of this variant sees the following units operating:

• VT-AEE was delivered in April 2023 and is 16.5 years old
• VT-AEF was delivered in November 2022 and is 17.5 years old
• VT-AEG was delivered in December 2022 and is 16.5 years old
• VT-AEH was delivered in January 2023 and is 16.4 years old
• VT-AEI was delivered in June 2023 and is 16.3 years old.

As with the removal of any aircraft, but certainly noticeable for a widebody on the scale of the 777, Air India must make necessary changes to its network to reflect the removal.

A spokesperson has confirmed that work has already been completed to see the smooth transition of US flights operated by these 777-200LRs to the high-capacity and extended range model of the 777-300ER, with minimal disruptions expected.

The return of these five units, despite some maintenance challenges, does follow Delta’s request, as Air India would not have been opposed to retaining the aircraft to help aid their operations and certainly mitigate some obstacles with the 787.

The Indian flag-carrier had commenced a significant retrofit with the 787, which will overhaul the widebody program and see the installation of all new seats, but that means a reduction of Dreamliners flying across the business.

Delta’s Axing Of The Boeing 777

Delta’s axing of the Boeing 777 fleet to pave the way for five of these units to fly with Air India follows a decision in 2020 to retire the type.

As global restrictions began to worsen and demand dropped to record low levels, Delta knew an opportunity existed for greater fleet simplification in its business. With that, the axing of specific aircraft types was on the cards.

Following a grounding of the 777 fleet, question marks arose over the future of the widebody aircraft as Delta began to move ahead with relying on just aircraft types such as the A350 and A330neo for its widebody flying.

A decision to retire the Boeing 777 eventually arrived, one that came as no shock, as part of the airline’s ambition to become more efficient and with this decision paving the way for the fleet to be placed elsewhere.

The arrival of these 777s from Delta represented a vital period for Air India, as leasing aircraft on a short-term basis was intended to enhance the fleet and mitigate some of the ongoing delays affecting the business.