Mumbai: Air India announced completion of the first phase of the legacy retrofit programme by upgrading 104 Airbus A320 aircraft with new cabin interiors. The airline aims to offer the upgraded cabin on 3,024 weekly flights on 82 domestic and short-haul-international routes.
Modernisation Under $400 Million Initiative
Air India commenced the retrofit programme in September 2024 as part of a broader $400 million initiative to modernise its entire legacy fleet. The final batch of 27 aircraft returned to service on Friday with new interiors and the airline's new livery which, combined with the 14 newly delivered A320neo aircraft and those integrated from Vistara merger, took the total count to 104 aircraft with upgraded interiors.
Air India completes first phase of its $400 million retrofit plan, upgrading 104 A320 aircraft with modern interiors and new livery | File Photo
Expanded Coverage Across Domestic and Short-Haul Routes
With the upgraded A320 family aircraft, the airline now operates 3,024 weekly flights across 82 domestic and short-haul international routes. The domestic routes include Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Hyderabad, Delhi-Bengaluru, Delhi-Kolkata, Delhi-Chennai, Mumbai-Bengaluru, MumbaiHyderabad, Mumbai-Chennai and Mumbai-Kolkata. Similarly, short-haul international routes from Bangkok, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Bali (Denpasar), Manila, Mauritius, Malé (Maldives), Riyadh, Jeddah, and most flights to and from Singapore will also feature the upgraded aircraft.
Air India completes first phase of its $400 million retrofit plan, upgrading 104 A320 aircraft with modern interiors and new livery | File Photo
Enhanced Cabin Experience for Passengers
The retrofit programme for the 27 A320neo involved equipping all aircraft with modern cabin interiors, in a three-class cabin configuration. It includes installation of 3,564 new economy class seats, 648 new premium economy class seats and 216 new business class seats.
Over 450 metres of premium leather and 15,000 metres of fabric was used to upgrade the seats, 5,000 square metres of carpet to give a new look to the aircraft floor and 8,000kg of paint was used to repaint the legacy aircraft in the new livery.
All seats will provide USB-A and USB-C ports for travellers to charge their personal electronic devices and help them in accessing ‘Vista Stream’, Air India’s on-board inflight entertainment streaming service, which offers almost 900 hours of global cinematic content on personal devices.
Next Phases to Cover A321, B787 and B777 Aircraft
Air India also announced that it will start retrofitting 13 legacy A321 aircraft from 2026, which are being sequenced for refit and new livery together with the erstwhile Vistara fleet over the next year. It also commenced the widebody retrofit programme for its legacy B787-8 aircraft, with the first of 26 aircraft (VT-ANT) having flown to a Boeing facility in California in July 2025.
According to the airline, the programme is on a steady schedule for completion by mid-2027. From early 2027, it will retrofit 13 of its legacy Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, aiming for completion by October 2028.
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Air India CEO Highlights Passenger-Centric Approach
Campbell Wilson, chief executive officer and managing director of Air India, said, “With over 100 of our A320 Family aircraft now featuring modern interiors, our guests will enjoy a superior travel experience across our extensive network. As we mark the end of the first phase of our narrowbody retrofit, we remain committed to elevating passenger experience and offering cabin products of global standards to our guests.”
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