Air India expects to complete retrofitting of seven more legacy Boeing 787-8 planes this year as it upgrades the fleet of these aircraft that is key to the airline's long-haul operations.
The loss-making carrier, which is in the midst of an ambitious transformation plan, has received the first of its retrofitted legacy Boeing 787-8 plane, which has 250 seats in three class configuration of business, premium economy and economy. The plane landed in the national capital on April 13.
Air India's Chief Customer Experience Officer Rajesh Dogra on Sunday said the airline expects to complete retrofitting of a total of eight legacy Boeing 787-8s this year.
This includes the plane that landed on April 13.
On Sunday, the airline unveiled the retrofitted, twin-aisle B787-8 (VT-ANT) that underwent a nose-to-tail cabin refresh.
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According to Dogra, 85% of the legacy Boeing 787-8 planes retrofit is expected to be completed by the end of 2027 and retrofitting of all such aircraft is likely to be over by the first quarter of 2028.
The Tata Group-owned airline has 33 Boeing 787s or Dreamliners in its fleet of over 190 planes.
Apart from the 26 legacy Boeing 787-8s, there are 7 Boeing 787-9s, including 6 from Vistara and the first tailor-made plane that was inducted in January this year.
The retrofit of legacy Boeing 777 planes is expected to start in the second half of 2027, Dogra said.
In a release issued on Sunday, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said the retrofit of its first widebody aircraft is a visible symbol of the momentum behind the airline's transformation.
"With 25 other 787s undergoing this comprehensive refresh, we are rapidly modernising the backbone of our long-haul fleet and raising the bar for customers flying between India and the world," he said.
The aircraft VT-ANT received comprehensive interior upgrades at Boeing's Modification Center in Victorville, California and the painting was done at AeroPro, an aircraft paint facility in San Bernardino, California.
Wilson, at a briefing in November last year, had said that in 2026, Air India Group would receive 6 new wide-body planes -- a mix of Boeing 787-9s and A350-1000s -- along with 20 narrow-bodied aircraft.
Air India Group comprises Air India and Air India Express.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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