Air-India has taken three Boeing 777s on lease for a five-year period beginning December 2004.
The 777-200 ER (extended range) are to be used for three additional flights to Los Angeles and three terminator services to London, A-I sources said in Mumbai on Thursday.
While the first aircraft is due to arrive in December, the other two twin-engine long-range 300-seater jets are expected in March-April, they said.
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The proposal was cleared by a three-member A-I board appointed by the Empowered Committee at a meeting in Delhi on Tuesday.
Commanders for this type of aircraft are to be sourced from abroad, while co-pilots, who would be recruited from within the organisation, are to be trained to fly these planes.
Meanwhile, A-I would shortly evaluate bids for two Boeing 747 Combis, even as it has extended the deadline for receiving offers for 11 Boeing 737-800s to October 19.
These aircraft are for its full-owned subsidiary Air-India Charter Ltd, which would operate the low-cost carrier, Air-India Express Ltd.
The operations of the no-frills airline, which is slated to provide services to Gulf and Far East, are scheduled to be launched from April next year, they said.
