DUBLIN, IRELAND — India's flag carrier Air India signed a lease agreement with Dublin-based lessor CDB Aviation for six Airbus A320neo jets. CDB Aviation is among the first to provide Air India's additional A320neo aircraft under the recently announced multi-stage transformation plan since the acquisition of the airline by Indian conglomerate Tata group.

The planes will be delivered in the second half of 2023.

"Our commercial team is delighted to have worked closely with Air India to help solve their fleet requirements with these new Airbus narrowbody aircraft from our orderbook," commented Ryan Barrett, CDB Aviation's Head of Asia Pacific.

"These fuel-efficient, new generation aircraft are well suited to support Air India's fleet revitalization initiatives, positioning the airline for sustained growth and profitability."

Commenting on the agreement, Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer of Air India, said: "This is an important agreement, which will help us to strengthen our fleet with state-of-the-art aircraft. This will boost our connectivity, especially on the short and medium-haul routes, and is an important step ahead in our transformation journey."

"India is an increasingly important region for CDB Aviation, being the second largest Asia Pacific market for new aircraft deliveries, with nearly 1,000 Boeing and Airbus jets in its orderbook," explained Peter Goodman, CDB Aviation's Chief Commercial Officer.

"Our commercial team remains steadfast in its outreach efforts across the Asia Pacific, leveraging our platform's resources and scale to support the region's airlines in restoring their networks and growing their fleets."