$400 million interior retrofit underway for Air India
Air India has commenced its $400 million interior revamp programme for 67 legacy aircraft across its fleet, starting with its 27 A320neos.
The upgrade of the three-cabin configuration – including seats, carpets, curtains and upholstery – was described by Air India CEO and managing director Campbell Wilson as “an important component of Air India transforming into a world-class airline”. The airline’s narrowbody fleet will be the first to undergo the upgrade, with between three and four aircraft a month to be completed.
The first of these – registration VT-EXN – is expected to re-enter commercial service in December 2024, joining eight recently-delivered A320neos already featuring the upgraded interiors.
Following the upgrade of Air India’s full narrowbody fleet (expected to be completed by the middle of 2025), work will commence on its 40 legacy 787 and 777 aircraft, with final preparations for the widebody ongoing simultaneously with the narrowbody retrofit. With seats and inflight entertainment systems already selected, the airline states it is “working closely with seat manufacturers to finalise regulatory certification and expedite production,” with the first widebody retrofit to commence in 2025 subject to supply chains.
The fleetwide interior renewal forms part of Air India’s ‘Vihaan.Al’ five-year transformation plan and will be co-ordinated by Air India’s engineering team in conjunction with global OEMs such as Collins, Astronics and Thales.
