Air India (AI, Delhi International) wants to take up to ten B737 MAX aircraft that are no longer required by Chinese carriers, according to Reuters, which cites sources close to the matter. Talks are reportedly underway. However, it joins a line of airlines keen to pick up the unwanted aircraft.
Air India wants to send the aircraft to low-cost offshoot Air India Express (IX, Delhi International). That airline already operates forty-six B737-8s as part of a 110-strong fleet. Air India Express also has ninety-four B737-8s and fifty B737-10s on order. If Air India manages to seal a deal, the first aircraft could arrive as early as 2026 and help address a capacity shortfall at the carrier.
Boeing had around ten aircraft ready to be delivered to Chinese customers, a further 31 on the assembly line, and some more aircraft already in China pending delivery when the Chinese government slapped a 125% tariff on US imports in response to the US imposing a 145% tariff on Chinese imports. The ch-aviation fleets module reveals that 14 Chinese airlines have a combined 137 aircraft on order at Boeing.
"Many of our customers in China have indicated they will not take delivery," Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told an April 23 quarterly earnings call. "We have approximately 50 China deliveries in our plan for the balance of the year."
"We're in close communication with our China customers, and we're actively assessing options for remarketing already built or in-process aeroplanes," he added. "And for the nine aeroplanes not yet in the production system, we're engaged with our customers to understand their intentions for taking delivery, and if necessary we have the ability to assign those positions to other customers."
"Customers are calling asking for additional aircraft, so this is going to be just a short-term challenge for us to either have China reverse course and take the aeroplanes or get us to in a position to remarket those aircraft."
