Air India is rejuvenating its old planes

Long journeys on international flights are often tiring, but Air India has now prepared to change this experience completely. Tata Group is working on a 'transformation plan' to make this loss-making airline world class. In this context, Air India is rejuvenating its old Boeing 787-8 aircraft to further improve long-haul operations. The good news for passengers is that the first 'retrofitted' (upgraded) Boeing 787-8 aircraft with a completely new cabin and amenities has arrived in India and seven more aircraft are targeted to be similarly upgraded and inducted into the fleet by the end of this year.

the journey will be more comfortable

The first upgraded twin-aisle aircraft 'B787-8 VT-ANT', which recently landed in the national capital on April 13, is special in many ways. This aircraft, which was presented on Sunday, has been completely redesigned from 'nose-to-tail' i.e. from front to back. If seen from the perspective of common passengers, now they will get three different class options to travel as per their convenience. A total of 250 seats have been provided in this aircraft, which are divided into business, premium economy and economy class. This simply means that now passengers going abroad from India will get a more premium experience than before.

All old Boeing 787 aircraft will be completely changed

Air India's Chief Customer Experience Officer Rajesh Dogra has informed that this year the retrofit work of a total of eight old Boeing 787-8 aircraft will be completed, which includes the aircraft that arrived on April 13. If we talk about the future roadmap, then by the end of 2027, 85 percent of the old 787-8 aircraft will be completed. At the same time, by the first quarter of 2028, all the old Boeing 787 aircraft will be seen in a completely new avatar. At present, Air India's fleet of more than 190 aircraft includes 33 'Dreamliner' Boeing 787. Of these, 26 are old Boeing 787-8 and 7 are new Boeing 787-9. Of these seven, six aircraft have come from Vistara and one tailor-made (customized) aircraft was inducted in January this year. Apart from this, work on upgrading old Boeing 777 aircraft is also expected to start in the second half of 2027.

change in America

The world's best facilities are being used to give a new look to these aircraft. The entire interior of the aircraft 'VT-ANT' has been upgraded at Boeing's modification center in Victorville, California, while its paint work has been done at the AeroPro facility in San Bernardino.

According to Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson, this first retrofit of a wide-body aircraft is a clear symbol of the airline's pace of transformation. He said, “25 other 787 aircraft are also undergoing this comprehensive makeover. We are rapidly modernizing the backbone of our long-haul fleet and setting a new benchmark for customers flying from India to the world.”

Wilson had told during a briefing in November last year that in the year 2026, the Air India Group (which includes both Air India and Air India Express) will get 6 new wide-body aircraft, which will be a mix of Boeing 787-9 and A350-1000. Along with this, 20 narrow-body aircraft will also become part of the fleet.

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