Air-India is to acquire 18 aircraft of 160-seater plus category, worth over $1.5 billion, during the next five years, even as it has decided to scale down its requirement of long-range aircraft from 17 to 10 planes.

The Air-India board, which met in Mumbai on Friday, authorised the airline to go ahead with the acquisition of 18 small capacity short range aircraft (160-seater plus), as against 21 recommended by an evaluation committee, and to invite bids from Boeing and Airbus, the two manufacturers in this category (737-900 and A321).

The technical evaluation committee headed by M K Hathi, which has invited bids for the long range aircraft, will also evaluate 737-900 and A321 planes for induction between 2003-04 and 2007-08, public relations director J Bhargava told reporters after the board meeting.

He said the board has also decided to lower the aircraft requirement of the long-range type and the airline would now acquire 10 planes instead of 17 aircraft as decided earlier.

The total order for both these type of aircraft would be at least $2.2 billion, according to airline sources.