Fixing the fleet: Air India taps Singapore Airlines for best practices, retrofitting of legacy aircraft picks up after Ahmedabad crash
is working with Singapore Airlines to adopt global best practices and improve the reliability of its ageing aircraft fleet, CEO Campbell Wilson told employees during a townhall on Friday, amid heightened regulatory oversight following the June 12 crash of its Boeing 787-8.
According to a PTI report citing sources present at the internal meeting, Wilson said the airline has begun retrofitting its wide-body fleet, and the first legacy Boeing 787-8, which was sent to the US for upgrades last month, is expected to rejoin operations by December. Air India aims to retrofit all 26 of its legacy 787-8s by June 2027, and complete upgrades of its 27 older A320 neo aircraft by September 2025.
Singapore Airlines, which holds a 25.1% stake in the Tata Group-owned airline, is collaborating with Air India in areas such as engineering, operations, and reliability improvements.
'We are exchanging notes on industry best practices,' Wilson told staff, as per the report.
The airline's focus on reliability comes amid reports of technical snags in multiple aircraft, particularly older members of the Airbus A320, Boeing 787, and Boeing 777 families. Air India has also begun a heavy refresh of its legacy 777s, including new seat covers, carpets, cushions, and repairs. This is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
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Wilson acknowledged operational challenges triggered by the June 12 crash that killed 260 people. The incident — involving a Dreamliner that crashed into a building shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad — led to increased safety checks and engineering pauses, resulting in temporary service disruption. 'We've identified supply chain and spare part bottlenecks and are working with OEMs to resolve them,' he said.
Despite the disruptions, Wilson said Air India's Net Promoter Score (NPS), a key customer satisfaction metric, recovered to 35 in July after dipping to 18 in the days following the accident.
Air India operates a fleet of around 190 aircraft, including 33 Dreamliners — 26 legacy 787-8s and 7 newer 787-9s. Once the first retrofitted 787-8 returns in December, two aircraft will be sent each month for upgrades. The refurbished Dreamliners will have a three-class configuration with 20 Business, 25 Premium Economy, and 205 Economy seats, replacing the current two-class layout.
In addition, the airline has revived plans to retrofit 13 legacy A321ceo aircraft that were earlier slated for retirement. As of now, 14 of the 27 legacy A320s have been retrofitted.
In December 2022, Air India announced a $400 million comprehensive retrofit programme for both its narrow-body and wide-body legacy fleets.
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