Air India is to refurbish its entire legacy widebody fleet, committing over US$400m for the project.
This will involve a complete overhaul of existing cabin interiors on board the carrier’s Boeing B787-8 and B777 aircraft. The aircraft will feature latest-generation seats and best in-class inflight entertainment across all classes.
In addition, the refurbishment will see the launch of Premium Economy cabins on both fleets. The First Class cabin will also be retained on the 777s. Air India has appointed London-based product design companies JPA Design and Trendworks to help with the cabin interior design elements of this refurbishment programme.
Air India says it is committed to providing its passengers with a comfortable, modern, and technologically advanced cabin to facilitate travel experience that is comparable with the best airlines in the world.
The complete interior refurbishment entails significant regulatory and engineering preparation, which commenced earlier this year. The carrier expects the first aircraft entering service in mid-2024.
Campbell Wilson, MD & CEO of Air India, said: “Under our Vihaan.AI transformation programme, Air India has committed to attain the highest standards of product and service befitting of a world class airline. We know that, at present, the cabin product on our 40 legacy widebody aircraft falls short of this standard.
“Although the project commenced some months ago, we are delighted to now publicly announce this significant investment on a complete interior refit, and we are confident that, when revealed, the new interiors will delight customers and show Air India in a new light. We are working closely with partners to accelerate the refit process as fast as possible and, in the meantime, leasing in at least 11 new widebody aircraft with brand new interiors to improve our offering at the earliest opportunity.”
