First A350-1000s Heavily Delayed For Air India

Air India’s first two Airbus A350-1000s are expected to be delivered in the second half of 2026 following cabin seat supply and other certification issues.

With these certification woes affecting the delivery programme, the first A350-1000s would have entered scheduled passenger service by now; instead, deliveries have been delayed throughout 2026.

The delay affects more than just the initial pair of deliveries expected for the A350-1000, as Air India expects to use many of the type to rebuild its long-haul operations with a more cost-effective operating structure.

As Air India’s finances remain strained after a near $3 billion loss, the A350-1000 offers a higher-capacity alternative for long-haul operations and, in turn, premium revenue opportunities. The flag carrier expects a further six widebody deliveries in 2026, including its first two A350-1000s.

Seat supply issues hold Air India’s first A350-1000s back

Earlier this year, one of the first A350-1000s destined for Air India was painted and had completed test flights; however, those familiar with the programme told Dj’s Aviation that the handover was not imminent because of outstanding seat supply and certification matters.

These aircraft were then placed in temporary storage while the cabin issues were addressed, with the first two units expected to be handed over sometime in 2026. Now, according to fresh reporting, Airbus is expected to deliver the first A350-1000 to the carrier by the end of the year.

Air India’s delay in taking delivery of the first A350-1000s is not linked to the airframe or a problem identified during testing, nor to its decision to delay the handover because of a bleaker financial outlook. Instead, it’s a problem directly tied to bringing the long-haul cabin to life.

The cabins feature complex seats, an in-flight entertainment system, and other equipment requiring safety approval. These approvals form a significant part of a new cabin-entry-into-service process, separate from the aircraft’s type certification, and can easily delay proceedings.

The certification is not always smooth; KLM recently faced business-class certification challenges that threatened the launch of its A350 operations. Lufthansa experienced something similar with its Allegris product on the 787 and was forced to go months without over 90% of the upper class unavailable during commercial service.

The A350-1000 seat issue, however, represents only one component of the wider supply-chain challenges affecting the airline’s renewal effort. Air India has hundreds of widebody aircraft on order from Airbus and Boeing, and complications with several seat suppliers have also affected delivery timing.

Air India awaits its first A350-1000 deliveries

Air India has ordered 20 A350-1000s, along with additional A350-900s, as part of its Airbus widebody order. The larger -1000 model will complement the existing -900s and help build the long-haul fleet of the future, with growth from its Delhi and Mumbai hubs.

While the handover of the first two A350-1000s isn’t expected to solve the widebody shortage immediately, it will gradually introduce more flexibility to the network over time.

Easing the widebody shortage would allow Air India to increase frequencies on high-demand long-haul routes or launch services to new destinations. While the carrier has slowed network growth and pruned underperforming routes, it acknowledges the need to keep growing to remain competitive and avoid losing ground to domestic competitors such as IndiGo, as well as overseas airlines serving India’s long-haul market.