Air India gives date for new Boeing 787-9’s inaugural London Heathrow flight
February 18, 2026
Air India is planning to deploy its incoming Boeing 787-9 aircraft on its flagship London connection, as the carrier continues the roll-out of its new Dreamliner fleet.
Starting from 1 July 2026, the Mumbai-London Heathrow flights will operate with a combination of Air India’s incoming new B787-9 as well as retrofitted legacy B787-8 aircraft. Both will feature all-new cabin interiors.
The 787s will replace the currently deployed B777-300ER on the route.
At the same time, those B777-300ERs will be dispatched to Melbourne on the daily flight from Delhi, introducing Air India’s first class cabin on the route.
The B777 features 8 suites in first class, alongside 40 business class seats and 280 seats in economy.
Air India’s summer route changes
From 1 August, the Bengaluru-London Heathrow flights will operate with the airline’s retrofitted B787-8 aircraft, introducing premium economy on the route and completing Air India’s transition across the entirety of its Heathrow operation to aircraft with new cabin interiors.
Meanwhile, Toronto will gain a daily service with Air India’s new, bespoke 787-9 aircraft.
Air India took delivery of its first “line-fit” Dreamliner – VT-AWA – in January.
Configured with 296 seats across business, premium economy and economy, the new 787-9 features a layout Air India intends to replicate across its long-haul Boeing fleet.
However, Air India has confirmed that some elements of the cabin will remain restricted until certification processes are completed by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
One of the limitations affects the business class cabin, where sliding privacy doors installed on the new suite product will be inoperative for the time being.
While the seats themselves are fully usable, the doors will be fixed in an open position until regulatory approval is received.
In addition to the business class restriction, 18 economy class seats on the Boeing 787 have been removed from sale and physically blocked from use. The airline says this is due to a regulatory interpretation issue rather than a problem with the seat model itself.
The seats concerned are part of the RECARO 3710 family, a product already certified and in service with multiple airlines worldwide.
Commercial operations began in February on the Mumbai-Frankfurt route.
“Over the course of 2026, you will see more and more of those routes being operated by the new, world-class Air India aircraft,” chief executive Campbell Wilson said last year.
Air India’s Boeing backlog
In addition to the new deliveries, of which Air India expects six across both the A350 and B787 types, 26 of Air India’s legacy Boeing 787-8 aircraft are undergoing cabin retrofits.
It means that by the end of this year, nearly 60% of Air India’s widebody fleet will have the upgraded interiors.
Air India has a total of 198 new aircraft on order from Boeing.
The airline has received 52 aircraft from the original 220 ordered in 2023, including 51 737-8 in service with Air India’s subsidiary value carrier, Air India Express, and the single new 787-9.
Featured image: Air India
