Boeing estimates that its aircraft deliveries to its Indian customers, Air India group and Akasa Air, would be two planes a month on average in 2026, Ashwani Naidu, Managing Director, Commercial Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said on Wednesday.
Naidu, while speaking at the Wings India 2026 air show launch at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad, said that there are no delays in the delivery of aircraft to Indian airlines.
He added that Boeing can now manufacture 42 737-Max aircraft a month, and is looking to increase the production rate further in the coming months.
While presenting Boeing’s commercial market outlook for India and South Asia, Naidu also said that Boeing expects South Asia will need 3,290 new airplanes by 2044, including 395 wide-body aircraft and 2,875 narrow-body aircraft.
Aviation Workforce Needs
Boeing also expects India will need 45,000 new pilots, 45,000 new technicians and 51,000 new cabin crew by 2044. The US aerospace giant expects India’s economy to grow at a CAGR of 5.1% for the next 20 years, while the country’s passenger traffic will grow at a CAGR of 7% till 2044.
The aircraft original equipment manufacturer had also said in 2025 that it would supply, on average, two planes per month as part of its deal with the airlines. However, Boeing only delivered 14-15 planes to Indian airlines in 2025.
The slowdown of deliveries by Boeing led to a slowdown in aircraft additions in India in 2025, with domestic airlines together adding an estimated 85–95 aircraft this year, down from nearly 130 aircraft in 2024.
The US aerospace giant has grappled with various headwinds—including regulatory action amid safety concerns and a strike by a section of its workers—that have considerably slowed its aircraft production.
Following the mid-air door plug blowout on an Alaska Airlines flight in early 2024, US regulators capped 737 MAX production, while a workers’ strike at Boeing’s Seattle facility further disrupted output. These factors delayed deliveries to several airlines, including Akasa Air.
Impacted Airline Plans
The slow pace of production has impacted airlines’ growth plans, including those of the Air India group and Akasa Air, which ordered 446 Boeing aircraft between them over the past couple of years. According to industry estimates, Boeing has so far delivered around 65 of those aircraft.
As part of its mega aircraft order placed in 2023 with Airbus and Boeing, the Air India group had ordered 220 Boeing planes — 190 narrow-body 737 MAX planes, 20 wide-body 787 planes, and 10 wide-body 777X aircraft. Of the 190 737 MAX planes, 50 were white-tails — aircraft made for other airlines but transferred to the Air India group due to cancellation of the original order — and the other 140 were to be line-fit planes.
Timely delivery of aircraft is a critical component of airlines’ fleet and network expansion strategies, and slower-than-expected aircraft deliveries could slow down their growth plans.