Air India on Thursday concluded the revamp of 50% of the narrowbody aircraft it inherited after privatization with 27 A320neo aircraft now featuring upgraded interiors, including new seats, in-flight entertainment systems, carpets and charging ports.
The airline has 27 A320neos and 23 A320 CEOs since before privatisation, which are mainly used for domestic flights and short international routes. The remaining 23 are expected to go into retrofit next year.
However, after 2022, Air India has added 14 new A320 neos as well as 63 A320s and A321s based on its merger with Vistara last November.
The 27 modified narrowbodies will be used to operate 3,024 weekly flights on 82 domestic and short-haul international routes, the airline said in a press statement.
The narrowbody improvements were part of Phase 1 of the airline’s US$400 million fleet retrofit program for older aircraft. The second phase of retrofitting for 27 Boeing 787 aircraft began in July 2025 and will end by mid-2027.
Beginning in 2027, Air India will retrofit an additional 13 of its older Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which are primarily used for US flights. It is targeted to be completed by October 2028, with the timeline changed due to supply chain delays.
These aircraft are used for flights to Europe, the Far East and Australia. The airline’s fleet totals 187 aircraft, including 60 widebodies.
Since its privatisation, new widebodies have been added to Air India, the full-service arm within the group that also includes budget carrier Air India Express, including six new A350s and 14 Boeing 777s leased from various airlines.
It will also add a widebody every six weeks next year, including two A350s. However, it will return 5 of these 777s to Delta Airlines.
published – November 01, 2025 04:22 am IST
