Mumbai, March 17: Air India’s VT-ALL took off after more than six years of being grounded, becoming the last of the 30 grounded aircraft now revived by the airline. The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft was grounded in February 2020 due to multiple unserviceable systems and ageing components.
Fleet revival after return to Tata Group
Air India has prioritised rebuilding its fleet and restoring its operational capability since it returned to the Tata Group in 2020. Among the inherited legacy fleet of 113 aircraft, 30 widebody and narrowbody aircraft had remained long-grounded and untouched for years due to lack of service and multiple components which had lived their lives. Post-privatisation, Air India committed significant resources to revive each of them.
VT-ALL marks completion of revival effort
The return of VT-ALL, which was the last of the 30 grounded aircraft, marked the final chapter of the massive revival effort. Air India initiated efforts in April 2025 to bring it back to full operational life to support long-haul expansion. The aircraft entered the Air India Engineering Services Ltd. (AIESL) MRO facility in Nagpur in May 2025 to undergo an intensive, nose-to-tail restoration programme.
Extensive restoration and system overhaul
The aircraft’s restoration was at an exceptional scale, as over 3,000 new key components were installed and over 4,000 maintenance tasks were carried out. The major assemblies, including engines, APU, inlet & fan cowls, and thrust reverser cowls, were replaced while it underwent a full systems rebuild, covering air-conditioning, landing gear, hydraulics, oxygen, avionics, and engine systems, which essentially acted like reconstruction of the aircraft’s functional backbone.
Round-the-clock effort under regulatory oversight
According to Air India, each part replacement, system restoration, and structural repair underwent stringent testing, documentation, and regulatory oversight by DGCA, with technical guidance from Boeing. Skilled engineering teams worked nearly round the clock to bring the aircraft back to life.
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The operation was coordinated across Air India’s base maintenance, planning, technical services, procurement and supply chain, project management office (PMO), powerplant, continuing airworthiness management organisation (CAMO), and quality assurance teams.
VT-ALL and the other B777 aircraft in Air India's fleet will undergo a full retrofit in the next phase, starting 2027. With the retrofit, the aircraft will offer the new Air India experience with new seats and modern amenities while sporting our new livery.
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