New Delhi: Air India has the option to buy an additional 370 aircraft as part of its deal with aircraft makers Airbus and Boeing, chief commercial and transformation officer Nipun Aggarwal said. The current order includes 840 aircraft, of which 470 are firm orders, including 250 from Airbus and 220 from Boeing. A firm order is confirmed, while an option is not, and airlines can decline to buy them. TRENDING STORIES See All Premium Don’t count on China to save the world economy Premium Could electric vehicles be hacked? Premium Tesla recalls over 3 lakh cars due to self-driving cras . . . Premium Spain passes 'menstrual leave' law in first for Europe “This order of 840 aircraft has been a culmination of a fascinating journey that began almost two years ago, starting with the Air India privatization process," Aggarwal said in a LinkedIn post. “The Airbus firm order comprises 210 A-320/321 Neo / XLR and 40 A350-900/1000. The Boeing firm order comprises 190 737-Max, 20 787s and 10 777s," he said. The A350 aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce engines, and the B777/787s by engines from GE Aerospace. All single-aisle aircraft will be powered by engines from CFM International. The first aircraft to arrive will be 25 brand-new Boeing B737-800s and 6 Airbus A350-900s in the second half of 2023, with deliveries really ramping up in 2025 and beyond. “The wide-body A350 aircraft will be used to fly all ultra-long distances across the world and 210 narrow-body A320neo family jets. The conglomerate also has significant option to increase the fleet order once the airline grows," Tata Sons chairman N. Chandrasekaran said on Tuesday. He added that the Tata Group is eyeing bringing commercial aircraft manufacturing to India at some point. “We are working on bigger partnerships, and one of our ambitions is to bring in commercial aircraft manufacturing at some point in time in the future. We have teams aligned on both sides, and we see this moment as the most significant moment for Tata group Air India, Indian aviation and the manufacturing sector in India," Chandrasekaran said. MINT PREMIUM See All Premium Why settlement in rupee is off to a tentative start Premium Why big biz wants licence to lend Premium A cheerless dip in our trade deficit Premium Mint Explainer: Why India is providing quake-hit Syria . . . With the bulk order, Air India intends to make India a hub for international flights and provide Indians with direct connectivity to various parts of the world, which is in sync with the government’s aim to make India a hub for international flights. Currently, a large percentage of Indian passengers fly to various parts of Europe and the Americas through airports in West Asia, Europe and Southeast Asia. Under the government-led divestment process, the Tata group acquired full-service carrier Air India and its low-cost subsidiary Air India Express in January 2022. Since then, AirAsia India, formerly a venture between AirAsia and Tata Group, has become a 100% subsidiary of Air India. In November, the Tata Group also announced that Vistara, a 51:49 joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, will be merged with Air India, with Singapore Airlines holding 25. 1% of the merged entity. Tata Sons-owned Air India currently has a fleet of 113 aircraft. The group’s total fleet size stands at 219, including AirAsia India with 28 planes, Vistara at 54 aircraft, and Air India Express at 24 jets. The conglomerate is eyeing to create an Air India brand umbrella which will have a single low-cost platform and a single full-service platform by the end of 2023. The former will be a merged entity between AirAsia India and Air India Express. The full-service carrier will be the merged entity between Air India and Vistara. Catch all the Corporate news and Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News . More Less OPEN IN APP.