US Ambassador Sergio Gor Lauds Air India For 30 Boeing 737 MAX Jet Order.

Washington/New Delhi; January 2026: Air India had announced on January 29th that it has placed an order to purchase 30 additional Boeing aircraft, comprising 20 737-8 and 10 737-10, taking the
total number of aircraft orders placed with Boeing to 250. These 30 Single Aisle aircraft are in addition to the firm orders for 220 aircraft that Air India had placed with Boeing in 2023, the airline said in an official release.

While, reacting to the expansion of Air India’s fleet plans, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor yesterday has congratulated Air India and Boeing on their announcement that the airline will add 30 more Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to its fleet. In a post on X, Gor wrote, “Congratulations to @airindia and
@Boeing_In on their announcement that Air India will add 30 more @Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to its fleet. Every day the Embassy works tirelessly to support opportunities that benefit both of our nations”!

Air India made the announcement at Wings India, one of Asia’s premier civil aviation events. With the latest orders, Air India has a total of 198 new aircraft incoming from Boeing. The airline has so far received 52 aircraft from the original 220 ordered in 2023, including 51 737-8s in service with Air India’s subsidiary value carrier, Air India Express, and one brand-new 787-9 that enters commercial service between Mumbai and Frankfurt from 01st February 2026.

Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Air India, said, “This additional order for 30 Boeing 737 aircraft is part of our broader fleet strategy to position Air India firmly for the future, as a world-class global carrier that India deserves and the world expects. Building on our 2023 orders and subsequent additions, this order supports steady deliveries and fleet upgrades planned over the next few years”.

Meanwhile, Paul Righi, Vice President of Commercial Sales and Marketing, Eurasia, India and South
Asia of Boeing has said, “Air India’s order for more 737 MAX jets underscores the strong performance of their existing 737-8 fleet as they continue to expand connectivity across India and the South
Asia region. We value Air India’s confidence in the 737-10 and 737-8 to provide the capacity and versatility they need as a cornerstone of their single-aisle growth strategy”.

Powered by CFM LEAP-1B engines, the Boeing 737 delivers fuel efficiency, passenger comfort and operational reliability for single-aisle aircraft operations, according to the release. Since its privatisation in January 2022, the Air India group has added nearly 170 aircraft to its fleet through a combination of
new deliveries, strategic leases, the merger of erstwhile Vistara into Air India, and the reactivation of long-grounded aircraft, marking progress in capacity expansion and fleet modernisation, the airline said.

Aircraft orders are often initially recorded as unidentified due to commercial sensitivities or phased contract announcements. In this case, the order appeared on Boeing’s books before being formally attributed to Air India. India’s aviation market is experiencing sustained growth driven by economic expansion and rising middle-class travel. Narrowbody aircraft are central to airline strategies due to infrastructure constraints and dense route networks. Boeing forecasts that the majority of aircraft delivered to Indian and South Asian airlines over the next two decades will be single-aisle jets (comprising approximately 90% of the estimated 3,300 total new aircraft required). Air India’s order aligns closely with these market dynamics.

At the same time, Air India modified their order for A320NEOs and A321NEOs, by converting 15 A321NEos into XLRs (the 300 A32X ordered are now split in 90 A320NEOS, 195 A321NEOS and 15 A321XLR).

Why India Inclined Towards 737 Max –

The 737 MAX family offers improved fuel efficiency, reduced emissions, and greater range compared to older-generation narrowbodies, making it well-suited to India’s high-utilization operating environment. Air India’s order comprises a mix of 737 MAX 8 and higher-capacity 737 MAX 10 aircraft, allowing the airline to tailor capacity across dense domestic and regional routes. The 737 MAX 8 provides operational flexibility, while the 737 MAX 10 offers increased seating for high-demand markets. Together, they support fleet commonality and efficiency across Air India’s group operations.

Boeing continues to work toward stabilising 737 MAX production following regulatory and supply chain challenges, with particular attention on certifying the 737 MAX 10, which has yet to enter service. While certification timelines remain uncertain, strong customer demand suggests long-term confidence in the variant. Recent orders from major airlines indicate renewed trust in the MAX program overall. Air India’s continued investment further reinforces this recovery narrative.

Overall, the newly revealed buyer not only resolves a backlog mystery but also underscores Air India’s long-term commitment to Boeing as a key strategic partner in its ambitious domestic and international expansion plans.

However, without even being yet certified the MAX-10 is proving to be quite popular. This is the decade of the stretch, to be sure. Air travel has rebounded extremely successfully since COVID-19 was kicked to the curb. Pandemic is still reason for manufacturing difficulties, however. Supply chain took a big hit and all that COVID-19 down time definitely affected production and R&D as well.

Finally, the global airlines fraternity has viewed this much attributed coveted deal with utter surprise – the interesting aspect of this big Boeing order from Air India while at the same time they are trying to implicate Boeing in some way(s) for a problem with either the switches and/or other issue contributing to, or distracting from, the real cause of their 191 crash of which they seem unwilling to confront thus far.

Team Maverick.