Air India has just taken delivery of its first purpose-built wide body aircraft since being privatized four years ago, and I’d say that’s a pretty major milestone.
In this post:
Air India gets first new Dreamliner in over eight years
When Air India was privatized four years ago, we were promised that the airline would be completely transformed. I don’t think any of us were expecting that would happen overnight, though it sure feels like it has been a glacial process.
For example, most passengers traveling to and from North America are still flying on the carrier’s woefully outdated Boeing 777s, with interiors that are falling apart.
Air India has hundreds of planes on order, and also has plans to introduce all-new cabin interiors on existing planes. Despite that, so far, not a single new purpose-built Air India wide body jet is in service, and not a single Air India wide body jet with new interiors is in service.
So there’s an exciting update. Air India has just taken delivery of its first purpose-built wide body aircraft since being privatized. Specifically, the Boeing 787-9 with the registration code VT-AWA has just been delivered to the airline. The plane landed in Delhi (DEL) in the early morning hours of January 11, 2026.
Air India is expected to take delivery of four of these planes in 2026, along with two Airbus A350-1000s, which should be the new flagship aircraft for the airline.
Now, to clarify a few points:
- Air India has taken delivery of six Airbus A350-900s over the past couple of years; while these are great planes, they were intended for Aeroflot, but couldn’t be delivered due to sanctions, so these weren’t purpose-built for Air India
- Air India has 21 Boeing 787-9s on order, which will complement the six ex-Vistara Boeing 787-9s that Air India has inherited (which have fairly nice interiors)
- Air India has 26 Boeing 787-8s in its fleet, which are in the process of being reconfigured with new interiors, and the first plane with new cabins should enter service soon
What to expect onboard Air India’s new Dreamliners
Air India hasn’t formally unveiled its new Boeing 787-9 interiors, though we know the planes will feature 296 seats in a three-cabin configuration, with business class, premium economy, and economy.
Going back a couple of years, the expectation was that these planes would feature the Safran Unity product, which is one of the best business class seats out there (Japan Airlines was the launch customer for these seats, on its A350-1000s). Below is a promotional video from the time, specific to the Boeing 777-300ER retrofits (as those planes will also retain first class).
However, that’s not how things are actually shaking out. Instead, it’s my understanding that all new and reconfigured Dreamliners are getting the same interiors, including the same new business class. Air India has selected the Adient Ascent seat for all of its Dreamliners. This product is built as part of a joint venture between Adient and Boeing, so it’s specifically designed for the 787.
That’s why you’ll also find this seat on the newest Boeing 787-9s of Qatar Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, and American Airlines, and soon it’ll also be debuting on United Airlines.
So this is a solid business class product, and a huge improvement over what the airline otherwise offers. However, it’s also pretty generic, and not really something that sets the airline apart. But when you’re based in a country as big as India, you just need to be “good enough” so that customers aren’t willing to connect via the Gulf region to avoid you.
Bottom line
Air India has just taken delivery of a Boeing 787-9, which is the first wide body plane the airline has acquired since being privatized that actually has interiors customized for the airline. It took four years to get to this point, but it’s exciting to finally see this.
The other good news is that the first retrofitted Boeing 787-8 with new interiors should be flying soon. This is all a very slow process, but hey, at least there’s progress.
What do you make of Air India’s Boeing 787-9 delivery?
Looks great. Unfortunately no price is low enough to get me to fly Air India, Air France or Turkish. I know this is an irrational safety fear but I am too risk adverse. Amazing I leave the house really.
Ben, apparently you don't read my comment. This is the 4th time I'm writing this comment, and I'll keep doing this until you clarify it.
Adient Aerospace was rebranded as "Elevate Aircraft Seating" last April 30. So it's "Elevate Ascent," not "Adient Ascent" anymore.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/elevate-seats
AI's problem isn't new or old planes but:
1. General lack of civic sense of Indians
2. AI's inability to maintain their aircrafts
3. Lack of professionalism from AI's crew
4. Management's inability to motivate their employees
Its been more than 4 years since the privatization and there are a lot of things in AI management's control that could and should have improved without new aircrafts. It is concerning that they haven't been able to do that.
It's been this way for literally decades. You are spot on.
I remember the excitement when the 777s and the original batch of 787s were brand new, and all the articles were heralding the dawn of a "new" AI. Fifteen years later both types haven't been maintained at all and are completely falling apart. Go even further back in time to the early 1990s and it was the same story with the 747-400 and the A310.
What's being done at AI to ensure this round...
I remember the excitement when the 777s and the original batch of 787s were brand new, and all the articles were heralding the dawn of a "new" AI. Fifteen years later both types haven't been maintained at all and are completely falling apart. Go even further back in time to the early 1990s and it was the same story with the 747-400 and the A310.
What's being done at AI to ensure this round of fleet renewal doesn't lead to the planes being completely trashed within a decade?
15 years ago the airline was government owned and now the airline is co-owned privately by the Tatas and Singapore Airlines. If that isn't a big enough change, I don't know what is.
Indigo seems to be doing good enough with their maintenance. AI with new management can probably do it.
Great.....another 787 for their pilots to crash.
You mean another commercial airline for humans to contribute a disaster with casualties.
Save the obsolete jobs, keep human error going on.
Or another airplane for Boeing to F up.
Long haul services may still be on older aircraft, but the domestic and regional narrowbody fleet (which 85% of the passengers actually fly) has been transformed with new interiors and an excellent new product. Around 80% of the fleet has been reconfigured (including AIX), so hardly "glacial". It is only North American routes that have largely been lower priority due to supply chain issues.
By "supply chain issues," are you referring to the fact that Boeing can't help but delay nearly all of its deliveries, while Airbus and Embraer still seem to manage just fine? Yeah, perhaps there are very real quality control issues over at Boeing, mostly due to their prioritizing of profits over lives.
This blog has a very myopic view of the world. Ben doesnt really understand or care about AI as an airline - he's only interested in a small part of AI's operations and doesnt see the fact that the nearly the entire narrowbody fleet has been reconfigured.
Sean, I am sure that you are aware that the vast majority of Boeing’s supply chain issues are self inflicted. Last century when the accountants started to overrule sound engineering policies, they slowly drip fed the outsourcing to China. They also squeezed their U.S. outsourcing companies so hard that they in turn came to rely heavily upon cheaper components from China too. A loose, loose situation has developed.
Airbus on the other hand has...
Sean, I am sure that you are aware that the vast majority of Boeing’s supply chain issues are self inflicted. Last century when the accountants started to overrule sound engineering policies, they slowly drip fed the outsourcing to China. They also squeezed their U.S. outsourcing companies so hard that they in turn came to rely heavily upon cheaper components from China too. A loose, loose situation has developed.
Airbus on the other hand has kept their bean counters under better control.
Said the Brit apologist looser.
Is that the fake Eskimo, or the real Eskimo? -- O.G. 1990 asking.
Just a fun fact, but Singapore, ANA, Qantas are the remaining major carriers that have never operated with a herringbone configuration.
*While not their own, Turkish did operate Jet Airways' 777s for a while.
I forgot to mention Emirates.
Emirates, Thai, and Korean Air too. They all have 2-X-2 or staggered seats up front.
Still, it’s impressive to think that almost every single large airline has had herringbone seats at some point or another. I’d never thought about it!
Thai currently has some A350s and 787s with a herringbone configuration. And they'll apparently be the first customer for the Thompson Aero's Vantage Nova platform for their upcoming 777 refurbishment.
But yes, Korean Air is also on the list.
China Southern?
Swiss (not major airline though)?
China Southern also never operated any herringbones.
I guess you can say Swiss (if you consider them a major airline and if you classify the Swiss Senses as a staggered configuration and *not* a herringbone) and same thing with China Southern.
Is China Southern even a major carrier compared to the aforementioned?
Mike O, China Southern is mainland China's largest carrier, by a very wide margin. Comparing fleet size and virtually all other metrics, it would eat Swiss for breakfast, without a burp.
it's disappointing to no longer see the Safran Unity seats. but i agree with Ben, the best we can expect from AI is being "good enough” so that customers aren’t willing to connect via the Gulf region to avoid you"
I certainly won't be flying many miles on the reconstituted AI as a result, but this seems like a decent product in a pinch
Thank you Ben, I really like it when you publish an article mentioning AI, it brings out all the racist proletariat from their hiding places.
"Be the change you want to see in the world." -- Genghis Khan.
1990, “Genghis Khan”, has turned over in his grave several times this century and is probably most content in his unknown resting place.
Confucius say... "If he turn 360 degrees, he back where he started."
Confucius also say... "Man with fly on testicles, learn violence not always answer."