In late 2021, Air India was privatized, as Tata Group, which was Air India’s initial owner when the company was first founded, took control of the airline again. Since then, executives at the company have been working hard to transform the airline. Suffice it to say that this is no small task, given the state of Air India’s fleet (and that says nothing of the recent crash of AI171, which was another major setback).
In late 2022, Air India revealed that it would refresh the interiors of its Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft, with all new cabins, including fresh premium seats. On top of that, in early 2023, Air India placed a landmark order for hundreds of Airbus and Boeing jets, worth tens of billions of dollars.
While the announcement at the time sounded nice, nearly three years later, not a single wide body plane has new interiors. So, what’s the latest? We now have an update, and it looks like progress is finally being made… very slowly.
In this post:
Air India investing $400+ million in wide body jet interiors
Tata Group intends to refresh the interiors of Air India’s existing long haul fleet. Here’s what we can expect:
- Air India will be refreshing the interiors of its legacy wide body fleet, including all Boeing 787-8s and Boeing 777-300ERs (the legacy Vistara Boeing 787-9s aren’t getting new interiors for now)
- Air India will not only be refreshing all cabins (including new seats, inflight entertainment, and Wi-Fi), but will also introduce a premium economy product across its long haul fleet
- Air India will be retaining the first class cabin on its 777s, while 787s won’t be getting first class
- The planes will not only get new seats, but you can expect the configuration to change as well
- The company has hired London-based JPA Design and Trendworks to assist with this project
So, when can we expect these new interiors to debut on existing aircraft? Initially the plan was for the first reconfigured aircraft to enter service as of mid-2024, with all planes being reconfigured within 2.5 years, meaning by late 2026 or early 2027.
That’s no longer realistic due to supply chain issues, and now the expectation is that the entire retrofit project won’t be complete until late 2028… and that’s best case scenario! The latest plan is for 787s to be reconfigured first, followed by 777s.
The first 787-8 has now been sent to the “shop” to be reconfigured, and the plan is that two 787-8s will be reconfigured and in service by the end of 2025. All 26 legacy Air India 787-8s will be reconfigured by July 2027.
The first 777-300ER is then expected to be reconfigured in early 2027, with the plan being for all 13 of these aircraft to be reconfigured by October 2028.
In the meantime, we’re actually seeing 777-300ERs get a mild interim makeover, consisting of a soft refresh, with new cabin finishes, including seat covers, carpets, and more.
Obviously all airlines have been dealing with supply chain issues, but this is just downright rough. Tata Group acquired Air India in late 2021, and it’ll be over five years before the first 777 is reconfigured. Ouch.
Air India’s long haul fleet is a hodgegpoge of planes
Keep in mind that in addition to its existing legacy long haul fleet, Air India is leasing some jets that used to fly for other airlines, mostly on a fairly short term basis (meaning that these planes likely won’t be in Air India’s fleet in a decade). This is both intended to improve the passenger experience, and to add capacity.
For example, Air India has been leasing six former Delta Air Lines Boeing 777-200LRs and six former Etihad Airways Boeing 777-300ERs.
These planes are all significantly more premium than Air India’s existing long haul aircraft, and feature direct aisle access and fully flat seats in business class. Furthermore, the Delta jets feature premium economy, while the Etihad jets feature first class.
On top of that, Air India has started flying some Airbus A350-900s, which were initially intended for Aeroflot, so they have non-standard interiors, compared to Air India’s planned new layouts.
My take on Air India’s wide body cabin upgrades
I am happy to see Air India’s investment in its product, though of course it’s frustrating how slow this is all happening. Not only does the airline have a woefully outdated business class on Boeing 777s (in a 2-3-2 configuration with angled seats), but the cabins on many Air India planes are basically falling apart.
Here are some thoughts on the general cabin mixture we’re seeing on Air India wide body jets going forward:
- It’s interesting that Air India will maintain first class; some airlines have eliminated this while introducing a better business class product, but it seems that Air India is committed to maintaining this
- It’s fantastic that Air India will finally introduce fully flat business class seats with direct aisle access and doors; this will be a quantum leap compared to the current product
- I’m happy to see Air India also introducing premium economy throughout the long haul fleet, as India really seems like a market where there’s value in that, given how long so many flights to the country are
- The only downside to the new cabins is that Air India is going from a 3-3-3 layout in economy to a 3-4-3 layout; this was bound to happen, and matches the industry standard
- Once Air India does introduce this new product on planes, I hope the company invests in maintaining the seats, since that has historically been a major challenge for the airline
Bottom line
Air India plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars updating the cabins on its Boeing 777s and 787s. The airline will maintain first class on 777s, introduce a new business class, add premium economy on all long haul planes, and also update the economy product.
This is all great news, though the terrible news is the timeline. While this project was supposed to start as of mid-2024, the first 787 with new cabins is now expected to enter service in late 2025, while the first 777 won’t be reconfigured until early 2027.
The current plan is that all 787-8s will have new interiors by July 2027, and all 777-300ERs will have new interiors by October 2028. All of that is best case scenario.
What do you make of Air India’s plans to update its cabins?
Ben - are you joking when you say this comment section is moderated? You are letting people say nasty, hateful things here with no repercussions. Critique is necessary, stereotyping and reductive ideas are not.
Business Class or Biohazard? A Tale of Two Filthy Flights
About a year and a half ago, I embarked on two glamorous journeys between Chicago and New Delhi—one might call it a transcontinental pilgrimage in pursuit of airborne luxury. I flew both Business and First Class, expecting champagne and serenity. What I got instead? A front-row seat to a sanitation scandal.
On both occasions, the aircraft looked like it had just returned from a mud-wrestling...
Business Class or Biohazard? A Tale of Two Filthy Flights
About a year and a half ago, I embarked on two glamorous journeys between Chicago and New Delhi—one might call it a transcontinental pilgrimage in pursuit of airborne luxury. I flew both Business and First Class, expecting champagne and serenity. What I got instead? A front-row seat to a sanitation scandal.
On both occasions, the aircraft looked like it had just returned from a mud-wrestling tournament. Torn seats, grime galore, and a general ambiance of “we stopped cleaning when the Cold War ended.” I had to summon the flight attendant—not for a drink, mind you, but for a mop and moral support. She gamely wiped down the seat and surrounding area while I pondered whether my ticket included a tetanus shot.
One wonders: what were they thinking? That First Class passengers enjoy a rustic, post-apocalyptic aesthetic? That Business travelers crave the thrill of microbial roulette? Or perhaps cleanliness is now an optional add-on, somewhere between extra legroom and emotional stability.
Memo to the airline: if you’re going to charge a small fortune for a seat, maybe don’t make it feel like a crime scene.
So, 5 years on from the pandemic, and we are still to believe that there are supply chain issues? 5 years on! You mean these companies could not re-hire or recruit new people within 5 years?
The question is, did these companies really fire everyone? OR, as what we are all seeing in every city that is much much emptier (including outside of the USA) in peak season....what exactly has happened to all of the people since the pandemic era. This is a genuine question.
But,But,Can you change the passengers, their Habit of peeing on other passengers? or just being Indians?
The comment is borderline racist.
Will the retrofits come with cockroach repellent? Or are those complimentary like on Air India flight 180
What troubles me most is the sense that these shortcomings aren’t isolated, but symptoms of a deeper, cultural complacency. Within a domestic market where such service levels have long been tolerated, there seems little urgency to aspire to the standards that define the best of global aviation in just the simplest ways, as opposed to this massive project. The result is an airline that, despite its heritage and potential, continues to project an image at...
What troubles me most is the sense that these shortcomings aren’t isolated, but symptoms of a deeper, cultural complacency. Within a domestic market where such service levels have long been tolerated, there seems little urgency to aspire to the standards that define the best of global aviation in just the simplest ways, as opposed to this massive project. The result is an airline that, despite its heritage and potential, continues to project an image at odds with the modern, world-class India it claims to represent. And their cabins smell awful.
Lou, thank you for making me smile at the thought of your description of the Air India cabins.
Yes, it is true that many of the spices eaten by Asian people (Caucasian too) are expelled from their bodies via their sweat glands. It puts me in mind of a flight from Bruni to London after six weeks in the jungle. My party stank the cabin out and put one of the lavatories out of...
Lou, thank you for making me smile at the thought of your description of the Air India cabins.
Yes, it is true that many of the spices eaten by Asian people (Caucasian too) are expelled from their bodies via their sweat glands. It puts me in mind of a flight from Bruni to London after six weeks in the jungle. My party stank the cabin out and put one of the lavatories out of action too.
Anyway I digress …. as bad as some people perceive Air India to be it is worth remembering that it stands only one place below American Airlines in the World Rankings.
Not sure if you're trolling here with this comment, and I don't want to hark on too much about the topic or come across as insensitive, but my honest impression is every time I’ve boarded an Air India flight, there’s been a moment—right after stepping through the aircraft door—when a very particular smell hits me. It’s not the sterile, faintly “new car” scent you get on some airlines, nor the neutral, recirculated air of most...
Not sure if you're trolling here with this comment, and I don't want to hark on too much about the topic or come across as insensitive, but my honest impression is every time I’ve boarded an Air India flight, there’s been a moment—right after stepping through the aircraft door—when a very particular smell hits me. It’s not the sterile, faintly “new car” scent you get on some airlines, nor the neutral, recirculated air of most long-haul carriers. Instead, it’s a warm, dense, almost cloying mix of cooking spices, overworked air-conditioning, and the lingering musk of hundreds of long-haul journeys lived in the same fabric and carpeting over many years. I’ve come to realise this isn’t simply poor ventilation or neglect; it’s a uniquely Air India phenomenon born from the confluence of cultural habits and operational realities. Indian cuisine, with its rich and aromatic spices, has a way of leaving a signature scent that clings to clothing, hair, and cabin surfaces. Combine that with older aircraft interiors, less frequent deep-cleaning cycles, and the sheer volume of domestic and international legs flown back-to-back without a full reset, and the smell becomes almost baked into the aircraft itself. For some passengers I can appreciate that it could be perceived as a nostalgic reminder of home; for others, especially those used to the scentless anonymity of Western carriers, it’s an unwelcome sensory marker that the airline still operates in a bubble distinct from global norms. I do hope that this retro-fit project goes some way to helping address this, and I look forward to seeing how it progresses over the next couple of years. AI reward price points are always very tempting!
Air India should consult @Proximanova.
Not only is he very quick at retrofitting his new names (how many names you retrofit so far besides VT-CIE?), he is best at cabin experiences. Just "visualise yourself flying Qsuites or Air France or JAL or something of that kind! ;)"
That's what Air India needs.
Perfect, Eskimo — after all the visualising, all AI needs next is AI to fly planes. No humans, no AI171, right?!
Proxi …. we must make allowances for the Eskimo, after all it is just a simple AI Bot under training …. :-)
Not to mention, AI will take delivery of its first A350-1000 and own (non-Vistara) 787-9 in the coming months, and those will feature the new Safran interiors.
Many have maligned Air India on this site, however, the fact remains that they are only one place below American Airlines in the World Rankings. When these cabin upgrades become available, will Air India be able to eclipse AA?
That is the question …. only time will tell Gunga Din, time will tell!
That's why the only one here posting racist comments is this idiot lunatic BA apologist, not others like what this troll claims.
There, there, Eskimo, you know only too well that you repeatedly malign Caucasian humanity with your “Snowflake” racist jibes. The mirror has been placed in front of your face so that you can see yourself in the true light of day. No hiding away in the gloom bro.
Then there is your obsession with trolling Tim Dunn, I am not the only person to have come up with that observation. Why do you appear...
There, there, Eskimo, you know only too well that you repeatedly malign Caucasian humanity with your “Snowflake” racist jibes. The mirror has been placed in front of your face so that you can see yourself in the true light of day. No hiding away in the gloom bro.
Then there is your obsession with trolling Tim Dunn, I am not the only person to have come up with that observation. Why do you appear to seek out Tim for criticism regardless of the subject of his posts?
As for your stuck gramophone needle comments about yours truly …. I probably deserve all which you throw at me bro, even if your jibes lack any variety or originality. Please try a little harder as your insults are very droll.
By the way …. thanks for the grin.
Loser.
Ben- Small correction. The ex-SQ frames never ended up joining Air India for one reason or the other, so they don't operate it at all.
Ex-EY/DL info is correct.
@ Deo -- Wasn't aware, thank you. Will update the post to reflect that.
India is now the most populous country on earth. It's imperative they catch up to the rest of the civilized world economy. This retrofit is a good first step. Next how about eliminating rape culture so it's safe for women travelers? And improving food safety and hygiene so it's microbiologically safe for all human travelers? I would love to visit India one day.
What an uninformed comment!
With that attitude, just stay home, you would not be welcomed anywhere let alone India.
More rapes happen in the US and exponentially more stabbing and shootings happen in US and Europe. India and China are much more civilised.