With delivery of its first Airbus A350 aircraft scheduled this month, Air India is developing its in-house capabilities to carry out maintenance work on the widebody aircraft.

Sisira Dash, chief technical officer at Air India, says the airline is ready for the first induction of an A350 following several training processes. He says that approximately 30 engineers have so far undertaken OEM training at the Airbus facility in Toulouse. “A few people have undergone the structure and engine run course at Toulouse,” Dash adds.

As per the latest development, the airline has sent three batches of its engineers from Air India Group carriers Air India, Vistara and AIX Connect for a specialist training sessions in Toulouse. Having completed the training session, these engineers will be back in time to take delivery of new A350 - a first for an Indian airline.

Airbus has also provided review meetings to offer further insights on the A350's technical intricacies. Future reviews are scheduled after the arrival of the aircraft to ensure ongoing support with technical issues. 

Some technical staff have been sent to Singapore for hands on training on A350 aircraft with SIA Engineering Company. The training includes focusing on everyday MRO operations like turn-around inspections and scheduled maintenance activities. 

Once delivered, Air India plans to fly the new A350s on long-haul international routes due to its long range and high-capacity capabilities. However, the aircraft will not be immediately deployed on ultra-long-haul routes. Beforehand, it will first undergo evaluation from India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation regulator for up to 20 days, following which it will fly domestically until the crew is familiarised with the aircraft.

Air India expects to take delivery of four A350s through to March 2024 as a part of a large 470 aircraft order placed in Feb. 2023. So far, the airline has already taken delivery of some A320, A321neos and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from the order.

Of the new fleet, six A350-900 that were originally built for Russian airline Aeroflot will be delivered first. The aircraft will have a new cabin product and will burn 25 per cent less fuel. Air India has initiated the process to obtain the necessary regulatory approvals for the induction.

Currently, AI Engineering Services carries out maintenance on all Air India and Air India Express aircraft while the routine day-to-day maintenance of AirAsia India and Vistara aircraft is conducted in-house.

All aircraft operated by Air India Group are sent to third-party MROs for heavy checks.