Air India is in the middle of a massive transformation, as the airline has been privatized. Air India is planning major changes to the passenger experience, as the airline has ordered 470 new jets, and also plans to refresh the interiors of existing wide body aircraft.
In addition to that, we’ve seen Air India lease some used aircraft, both to add short term capacity, and also to improve the passenger experience.
The most immediate plan is that Air India is leasing 14 Boeing 777s that used to fly for other airlines. This includes five former Delta Boeing 777-200LRs, three former Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ERs, and now six former Etihad Boeing 777-300ERs. The first former Etihad Boeing 777 has just touched down in India ahead of entry into service, so I wanted to go over the details.
Air India getting six Etihad Airways Boeing 777s
Air India is adding a total of six former Etihad Airways Boeing 777-300ERs to its fleet. The first of these aircraft just touched down in Delhi, and has the registration code VT-AER. This plane is still quite new — it was only delivered to Etihad in 2013, and then was stored in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. It’s now joining Air India’s fleet at just 10 years old.
The remaining five jets should join Air India’s fleet in the coming months, before the end of the year. The plane already features a modified version of Air India’s livery. Meanwhile you can expect that the interiors will remain largely unchanged, perhaps with the exception of some minor cosmetic updates.
The interiors of former Etihad Boeing 777s
What can passengers traveling with Air India look forward to onboard these former Etihad Airways jets? These former Etihad Airways Boeing 777-300ERs feature a total of 328 seats, including:
- Eight first class seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration
- 40 business class seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration
- 280 economy class seats, in a 3-4-3 configuration
Suffice it to say that this should represent a massive product improvement for premium passengers. For one, this will be the first time that Air India has doors on its first class suites. While first class on these planes isn’t cutting edge…
…it should represent quite an improvement over Air India’s previous Boeing 777 first class.
In business class, these planes have staggered fully flat seats in a 1-2-1 configuration…
…which compares quite favorably to Air India’s standard angled seats in business class in a 2-3-2 configuration.
In fairness, this Etihad product isn’t quite as good as the business class you’ll find on the former Delta Boeing 777-200LRs, which feature business class suites with doors.
It’s also not quite as good as the business class you’ll find on the former Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ERs.
Bottom line
Air India is in the process of adding six former Etihad Airways Boeing 777-300ERs to its fleet, in order to boost short term capacity.
These planes will mark the first time that Air India has first class suites with doors on any aircraft. Furthermore, this will represent a nice upgrade compared to Air India’s standard 777 business class, though don’t expect it to be as nice as what you’d find on former Delta and Singapore Airlines aircraft.
What do you make of Air India leasing former Etihad Airways Boeing 777s?
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