Tata Group-owned Air India has announced a $400 million revamp plan for its wide-body fleet of 27 Boeing B787-8 and 13 B777 aircraft. In this refurbishment, the airline will see a complete overhaul of existing cabin interiors, including the addition of the latest-generation seats and best-in-class inflight entertainment across all classes.
According to a statement from the company, the refurbishment will also see the introduction of a premium economy cabin on both fleets. The First Class cabin will be retained on the 777s.
Air India has engaged London-based product design companies, JPA Design and Trendworks, to assist with the cabin interior design elements of this refurbishment programme.
On Monday, Air India announced that it will lease six Boeing B777-300 ER widebody aircraft to further augment its existing fleet. These aircraft are expected to be inducted in the first half of 2023. The decision to lease six aircraft is in addition to the thirty leased earlier this year including twenty-one Airbus A320, four Airbus A321, and five Boeing B777-200LR widebody aircraft.
Air India's B777-300 ER will have four class configurations first, business, premium economy, and Economy, and will be deployed to connect metro cities of the country with more international destinations, the airline said.
“Growing our network is an essential part of Air India’s Vihaan.AI transformational journey and we remain committed to increasing connectivity and frequency of flights both domestically and internationally. These additional aircraft leases will support our near term growth even as we finalise plans to refresh and significantly grow our long-term fleet,” said Campbell Wilson, Managing Director, and CEO at Air India.
Vihaan.AI is Air India’s transformational roadmap over five years with clear milestones. Over the next 5 years, Air India plans to increase its market share to at least 30 per cent in the domestic market while significantly growing the international routes from the present market share.