More than 50% of Air India's fleet now features upgraded cabin interiors
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More than 50% of Air India 's fleet now features refurbished cabin interiors, the airline said on Wednesday, as part of its $400 million retrofit programme aimed at transforming the travel experience across both narrow-body and wide-body aircraft.'As we await deliveries of new aircraft, our entire fleet of legacy single-aisle and twin-aisle aircraft is undergoing a comprehensive retrofit,' the airline said in a statement.The upgrades include installation of new seats in a three-class cabin configuration—Business Class, India's only Premium Economy, and an enhanced Economy Class—along with fresh carpets, curtains, lavatories, and new paint in the revamped Air India branding.The retrofit is central to the Tata Group-owned airline's five-year transformation strategy.'The programme is an important step forward… It will help provide a consistent product and service experience across the fleet,' the airline said.Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson , speaking at the Skift India Forum in March, called the retrofit of aircraft 'the number one priority' for the airline. He confirmed that all legacy wide-body aircraft, including Boeing 777s and 787s, are expected to be fully upgraded by early to mid-2027.'By early mid 2027, all of the legacy wide-body aircraft will be upgraded… still slower than we would have liked,' Wilson acknowledged, pointing to seat supply issues and logistical constraints. 'We are now pulling these aircraft through a heavy refresh programme.'Air India also expects to complete retrofitting all 27 of its A320neo aircraft by the third quarter of this year. The first upgraded A320neo has already re-entered service.The full-service carrier, which merged with Vistara last year, is also repainting and retrofitting the Vistara fleet—an effort expected to take another 18 months.Addressing industry-wide concerns, Wilson said the global aviation sector is likely to remain supply-constrained for the next four to five years, with shortages of engines, seats, and aircraft components delaying timelines.'Reality is that it is going to remain a supply-constrained market, not just for Air India or India, but worldwide… for another 4–5 years,' he said.To mitigate the impact, the airline is being strategic in its deployment.'If you are capacity constrained, you have to be a little bit ruthless with respect to where you deploy your aircraft to maximise returns,' Wilson said. 'Getting one or two leased aircraft with a different configuration adds to the complexity rather than advancing you.'
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