Air India accelerates its fleet renewal, planning to retrofit 16 Boeing 787-8 jets in 2027 as part of a longer-term upgrade amid challenging operating conditions and expansion plans, pushing the full fleet refurbishment to 2029.
Air India is accelerating its fleet overhaul, with chief executive Campbell Wilson telling employees the Tata Group-owned carrier plans to retrofit 16 more Boeing 787-8 jets in 2027 as it seeks to lift standards across its long-haul operation. The move comes as the airline balances renewal work with a difficult operating backdrop that includes high jet fuel costs, geopolitical tensions, airspace curbs, a weaker rupee and softer demand on the India-US route.
The latest plan builds on Air India’s $400 million retrofit programme for its legacy widebody fleet. The company has already put its first refurbished Boeing 787-8, VT-ANT, back into service after work at Boeing’s modification centre in Victorville, California. Air India said the aircraft has a three-class layout with Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy seats, new interiors and updated inflight entertainment, while earlier company material said the full retrofit of its 26 legacy 787-8s was expected by mid-2027.
But the programme now appears to be stretching further than first indicated. According to a later report from Mint, Air India has pushed the wider fleet upgrade timetable back to 2029, with the final phase covering 19 widebody jets from the second half of 2027 and taking up to two years to finish. That would make the 16 787-8 retrofits planned for 2027 part of a longer transformation, rather than the final step.
Alongside the refurbishment work, Air India is also adding newer aircraft. The carrier has already received three Boeing 787-9s this year and expects two Airbus A350-1000s later in 2026. The wider group, which includes Air India Express, is planning to induct more than 100 aircraft in 2027 and 2028. Air India has also been using network disruptions to advance maintenance, adding rejuvenation lines and bringing forward major checks, while The Hindu Business Line has reported technical dispatch reliability has improved to 97.4%. The airline is also preparing annual salary increases for staff from 1 October 2026.
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