Air India To Begin Cabin Revamp

Air India will begin its major cabin refresh to elevate customer experience and align the national carrier with other companies.

The refresh will cost hundreds of millions and begin with the Airbus A320neo, where 27 units will undergo retrofitting.

New seats, carpets, curtains and other factors such as upholstery will be present. The overhaul is essential to transforming Air India into the world-class airline that its new ownership and executives hope will be possible.

Air India’s first focus is the narrowbody fleet, with the retrofit of the widebody aircraft commencing in 2025.

The narrowbody fleet upgrade, which is currently in the works, should be completed by the middle of 2025 and will involve aircraft types across the Airbus single-aisle family and others critical to day-to-day flying.

For the widebody overhaul, Air India will emphasize jets such as the 787 and 777, and final preparations are underway to see simultaneous retrofits across small and larger aircraft where necessary.

However, great importance rests on the overall timeframe for Air India concerning its reliance on supply chains.

Unfortunately, supply chains remain bruised and beaten, and aircraft manufacturers are among the hardest hit. Because of these shortages, even airlines attempting to complete such projects face struggles.

Air India is currently undergoing a multi-year turnaround plan that aims to be completed in five years, and overhauling the cabin product is just one of the many steps.

The turnaround plan was put into motion following the successful sale of the airline to Tata Group, which has been able to invest significant amounts of money to try to repair the national carrier.

This airline has seen its image tainted recently and a colossal amount of debt. Moving forward, these new cabins, alongside continued delivery of new aircraft, aim to push Air India in the right direction.