Summary
- Air India starts a $400 million cabin retrofit program for 67 existing aircraft, including fitting the new premium economy cabins onboard.
- Retrofitting of 27 narrowbody Airbus aircraft underway, aiming to complete all by mid-2025.
- Cabin upgrades are part of a larger five-year transformation plan to enhance services and network, thereby becoming more competitive.
Air India has commenced its multi-million dollar cabin retrofit program this week on its narrowbody aircraft. The first aircraft will return to commercial service later in December. The retrofit program also includes cabin upgrades on the carrier’s widebody aircraft, which will begin around mid-2025.
As part of this cabin retrofit program, more of Air India’s existing aircraft will receive new premium economy cabins.
Retrofitting new cabins on old aircraft
As part of the airline’s transformation, Air India
has embarked upon a $400 million retrofit program. This program will see 67 of the carrier’s existing aircraft fitted with the airline’s new cabins, including the new Premium Economy cabin, and also get a facelift by having the new livery applied to these aircraft.
According to Aerospace Global News, the program will see 67 existing aircraft undergo cabin and livery upgrades, 27 of which will be Air India’s Airbus A320neo
narrowbody aircraft, and the remaining 40 aircraft will be the Boeing 777
and Boeing 787
aircraft types.
The first of the airline’s narrowbody aircraft began the retrofit program on Monday and is expected to re-enter commercial service in December. With the aim of retrofitting around three to four narrowbody aircraft per month, the airline has forecasted to complete upgrading all 27 of its narrowbody aircraft by mid-2025.
The widebody cabin retrofit will begin thereafter in 2025.
Part of a larger transformation program
This cabin retrofit is part of the airline’s larger five-year transformation plan as the carrier looks to become more profitable, upgrade its services, and enhance the airline’s visibility on a global scale by expanding its fleet and network.
Reports state that the airline is already collaborating closely with manufacturers and partner OEMs such as Collins and Thales to upgrade its onboard products and services. The airline’s new Premium Cabin is a key element of its transformation and will also be featured on its narrowbody aircraft.
|
Class |
Capacity |
Configuration |
|---|---|---|
|
Economy |
132 |
3-3 |
|
Premium Economy |
24 |
3-3 |
|
Business |
8 |
2-2 |
The airline also features brand new cabins onboard its three new Airbus A350-900
aircraft, which it received recently. These cabins will also be retrofitted into other widebody aircraft within the airline’s fleet, such as the Boeing 777s.
Expanding airline fleet and network
The carrier has been expanding its fleet and, subsequently, its network for over a year now and is on its way to establishing itself as a “world-class” airline. Apart from three new Airbus A350s the carrier has also taken delivery of new Airbus A320neo aircraft and has been expanding its network and services.
With the arrival of new widebody aircraft, the airline has been using them for short-haul flights (such as flights to Dubai) and
even longer flights to destinations such as London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
. Additionally, the carrier has also been
increasing its services to long-haul markets such as the United States
and the airline is set to even deploy its new A350s on certain US routes in the coming months.
Photo: Air India
Furthermore, with the merger with Vistara imminent, Air India, by the end of the year, could have fully absorbed Vistara and its assets, which will see Air India’s fleet, services, and workforce grow further. This unification will see the airline reach new heights as it increases its market share, both domestically and internationally, as the airline becomes more competitive.