Key Takeaway:

•          Air India is refurbishing its cabins, adding the latest generation seats and inflight entertainment across all classes, and introducing a Premium Economy cabin on its fleets. It is also adopting proactive maintenance and refining flight schedules to enhance on-time performance.

•          Bulk of Air India’s new Airbus & Boeing purchases will be delivered in 2025. The first of the new aircraft will enter service in late-2023. Therefore, the benefits of this purchase will not be felt immediately.

•          Air India is launching new routes and resuming nonstop service beyond India, connecting more Indian cities to global destinations without the need to fly via the country’s capital cities.

Air India’s plans to transform into a world-class global airline are exciting for the aviation industry and luxury travel enthusiasts. With a five-year plan in place, we can expect significant improvements in customer service, technology, product offerings, reliability, on-time performance, and hospitality between 2022 and 2027.

However, the big question is, when can we as consumers expect to experience these benefits from Air India?

Air India has already started refurbishing its cabins and adding the latest generation seats and inflight entertainment across all classes, including introducing a Premium Economy cabin on both fleets.

The airline is also adopting proactive maintenance and refining flight schedules to enhance on-time performance. The first of these refitted aircraft will enter service in mid-2024.

What has been fixed in Air India this week?

Currently, Air India has a fleet size of 113 aircraft with an average age of just over 10 years. Historically, the airline has relied on Airbus for its workhorses, with less reliance on Boeing. Adding 40 Airbus A350s, 20 Boeing 787s, 10 Boeing 777-9s, 210 Airbus A320/321 Neos, and 190 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft will bring the fleet to new heights.

The first of the new aircraft will enter service in late-2023, with the bulk arriving from mid-2025 onwards.

In the meantime, Air India has already started taking delivery of 11 leased B777 and 25 A320 aircraft to accelerate its fleet and network expansion, which will come with an entirely new cabin interior.

Addition to Air India’s network since Sept 2022

Since September 2022, Air India has launched new routes and resumed nonstop service beyond India, connecting more Indian cities to global destinations without the need to fly via New Delhi or the destination country’s capital. This is a big deal!

The airline has, for example, introduced nonstop service between Mumbai and New York, between Delhi and Milan, connecting cities such as Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Goa, and Kochi directly to London Gatwick. These new routes indicate that Air India is expanding its network and fleet, which will offer travel enthusiasts more options in the future.

Changes to the airline of choice for the Indian travellers?

1.The transformation of Air India into a world-class global airline is excellent news for travellers who no longer have to be accustomed to travelling on aircraft that are slightly outdated and not having access to the latest inflight entertainment. The airline’s new aircraft with entirely new cabin interiors will provide passengers with the latest in inflight entertainment and comfort. These new offerings will make travel more enjoyable and hassle-free, especially for long-haul flights.

2. With new aircraft and network expansion, Air India is becoming a more attractive option for travellers. They no longer have to rely on flying via the Middle East to get to Europe or the US. Air India is providing good inflight comfort in seats and service, focusing on flight punctuality, making it a convenient and comfortable option. Will Emirates / Etihad / Qatar Airlines start feeling the head from 2024?

3. We love the Tatas and want to see a fair representation of our country in the international skies, an excellent product that Indians can call their own. Air India’s expansion plans will provide us with a sense of pride, seeing a brand we know and trust flying the Indian flag on an international scale.

4. Air India’s transformation into a world-class global airline is a game-changer for the travel industry. While the benefits may be available after a while, with new aircraft and network expansion, international travellers can expect to experience a new level of comfort, reliability, and hospitality when flying with Air India in the future. As for when we can expect to experience the benefits, the first of the new aircraft will enter service in late-2023.

Commenting on the purchase, Tata Sons and Air India Chairman, Mr N Chandrasekaran, said: “Air India is on a large transformation journey across safety, customer service, technology, engineering, network and human resources. Modern, efficient fleet is a fundamental component of this transformation. This order is an important step in realising Air India’s ambition, articulated in its Vihaan.AI transformation program, to offer a world class proposition serving global travellers with an Indian heart. These new aircraft will modernise the Airline’s fleet and onboard product, and dramatically expand its global network.”

Air India is a Star Alliance Member.

By: Vishal Jain, Editor-in-Chief, @WorldTravelMagazine. 19 Feb 2023.

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