Air India places order for 85 more planes with Airbus; to buy 10 additional A350 aircraft
New Delhi, Oct 10: Air India has placed an order for 85 more aircraft with Airbus, including 10 A350s, as the airline works on expanding operations, according to sources.
Of the 85 airplanes, 75 are narrow-body A320 family aircraft and 10 wide-body A350 planes, the sources said in the know said on Thursday.
There were no comments from Air India and Airbus.
In an update on Wednesday, Airbus said it has received orders for 667 aircraft this year till September.
Among them, there was an order, received on September 5, for 85 planes -- 20 A320 neos, 55 A321 neos, 5 A350-900s and 5 A350-1000s.
The name of the airline was not disclosed.
As per the sources, this order was by Air India.
In February 2023, Air India placed orders for 470 planes with Airbus and Boeing.
The airline announced it will buy 250 planes from Airbus -- 210 from the A320 neo family and 40 A350s. At that time, the carrier also had the option to purchase more aircraft.
The sources said the Tata Group-owned Air India has exercised the option by ordering 85 more planes.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
