Bangalore Investment：Air India kicks off $400-million refit programme to spruce up 67 legacy aircraft from government ownership days

The refit programme, which will involve a complete overhaul of the cabin with new seats, carpets, and upholstery, started MondayBangalore Investment. The retrofit programme will first refresh Air India’s 27 legacy narrow-body Airbus A320neo aircraft, followed by 40 wide-body Boeing aircraft.

According to Air India, three to four A320neo aircraft a month will enter the retrofit process, and the upgradation of the airline’s entire narrow-body fleet is expected by the middle of next year. As for it legacy wide-body aircraft–Boeing 787s and 777s–the airline expects their retrofit to start early next year.

“Market-leading seats and inflight entertainment systems have been selected, interior designs are complete and the airline is working closely with seat manufacturers to finalise regulatory certification and expedite production. Subject to supply chains, the retrofit of the first widebody aircraft will commence in early 2025,” Air India said.

The legacy fleet refit will involve redesigning the cabin in a three-class configuration by adding a premium economy section in addition to Air India’s regulation two-class configuration–economy and business. As part of this retrofit programme, the aircraft will also be painted in the new Air India livery that was introduced last year and entered into service with the airline’s brand new Airbus A350 aircraft this year.

“The first narrowbody aircraft to commence the refit program is VT-EXN, a single-aisle A320neo that went into the hangar on Monday. After prototyping and necessary regulatory approvals, VT-EXN is expected to re-enter commercial service in December 2024, joining the eight recently-delivered and operational Air India A320neo aircraft that already feature the upgraded cabin interiors and configuration,” Air India said.

“The commencement of interior refit of the narrowbody fleet is an important step in our journey of enhancing the flying experience of our customers. Over time, all the legacy widebody aircraft will also be refittedJinnai Wealth Management. This comprehensive upgradation of Air India’s physical product is an important component of Air India transforming into a world-class airline,” Air India’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson said.

The refitted A320neo aircraft will feature eight business class seats, 24 extra-legroom seats in the premium economy class, and 132 economy class seats.

The refit project will be coordinated by Air India’s engineering team with leading global original equipment manufacturers like Collins, Astronics, and Thales, among others. The exercise will see the installation of over 15,000 next-generation seats across different cabin classes.

Simla Wealth Management