Air India CEO Tewolde Gebremariam, who took charge of the loss-making carrier last month, is looking to bring down the airline’s expenditure on maintaining its A350 aircraft as part of a broader cost-cutting exercise, reported Bloomberg citing people familiar with the matter said.
The airline currently operates six Airbus A350-900 planes, fitted with Trent XWB engines manufactured by Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc, on key routes connecting with the US and Europe.
In 2023, had placed an order for 80 Trent XWB engines, with an option to purchase 20 additional units.
Tewolde flagged the expenses involved in operating and servicing the engines, which have turned out to be higher than initially estimated, according to the report citing people familiar with the matter. They said the airline has begun preliminary talks with its service providers to explore ways to bring down the costs. Air India has arrangements with Airbus Flight Hour Services for aircraft maintenance and Rolls-Royce’s TotalCare programme for engine servicing.
The actual maintenance expenditure has exceeded the projections made when the agreements were originally signed, prompting the airline to raise the issue with the companies, they added.
The cost-reduction drive is part of Tewolde’s efforts to improve the financial performance of Air India, which he joined last month after previously heading Ethiopian Airlines Group.
The airline recorded its highest-ever annual loss of more than 220 billion rupees ($2.3 billion) in the previous financial year. It is also looking to secure 100 billion rupees in fresh capital from its shareholders, Tata Sons Pvt. and Singapore Airlines Ltd., amid scrutiny over the additional financial support required by the carrier.
Meanwhile, Air India, Airbus and Rolls-Royce did not respond to Bloomberg’s emailed requests for comment.
Air India CEO reportedly eyes cargo, maintenance overhaul
is also looking to improve the utilisation of Air India’s cargo operations, which currently operate at an average of only 35% of their capacity, according to the report citing sources who spoke earlier in September.
He has asked employees to work on measures to address maintenance-related problems, pointing out that the airline’s fleet is relatively young. Last year, India’s aviation regulator had flagged a higher number of safety-related issues at Air India compared with other carriers.
The CEO is also exploring the possibility of bringing budget airline Air India Express under the main Air India group.
Cutting losses has emerged as a key priority for Tata Sons, Air India’s majority shareholder. The conglomerate is facing an internal power struggle over Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran’s tenure, alongside regulatory pressure to list the holding company.
Tata Sons, which controls businesses spanning sectors from coffee to automobiles, has asked Air India to rein in its expansion plans and focus on consolidating its existing operations.