Air India has finally kicked off the retrofit of its legacy fleet, with the first Boeing 787-8 widebody aircraft already being sent to the United States for a full upgrade of its cabin.
According to a report by ANI, the Boeing 787-8 widebody aircraft sent for retrofit by Air India will return by December this year, after which more aircraft of the fleet will be sent for upgrades.
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson told the company’s staff on Friday in a town hall meeting that two legacy Boeing aircraft will be sent for retrofit every month after this, with all 25 remaining 787-8s upgraded by June 2027.
As for the narrowbody segment, Wilson gave an update saying that retrofitting of all such aircraft will be done by September this year. As many as 14 out of the 27 A320neo aircraft have already been retrofitted and returned to service, the Air India CEO said, as per ANI sources.
Air India eyes legacy Boeing fleet reliability with Singapore Airlines
According to the report, Air India is also ramping up its efforts to improve the reliability of its legacy fleet, including aircraft from the Airbus A320 , Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 families. The company is targetting recurring issues like supply chain delays and spare parts shortages as part of its wider programme of undertaking operational upgrade.
The company is working directly with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to fast-track solutions. The strategy involves close collaboration with shareholder partner Singapore Airlines, exchanging best practices on engineering, maintenance planning and operational efficiency.
“Air India is collaborating with our shareholder partner, Singapore Airlines, to exchange notes on industry best practices,” CEO Campbell Wilson said, according to ANI.
The multi-year retrofit programme is also part of its operational efficiency plan.
Despite recent operational challenges – including the Iran airspace closure and engineering safety pauses – Air India’s performance metrics remain strong. In the last two months alone, the carrier has flown approximately 4.4 million passengers across 33,000 flights, averaging 108,000 passengers daily with a year-to-date load factor of 84 per cent, the CEO said.
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