Air India has committed to updating all Boeing 787 and 777 cabins as part of a USD400 million investment.
The airline, which is Tata Group-owned, will be merging with Vistara by March 2024, intending to become India's leading airline group — with Singapore Airlines offering significant investment in the merger along with a substantial stake in the combined new airline.
It looks likely that Air India will retain the combined airline's branding and introduce a Premium Economy cabin across the entire long-haul fleet — not previously offered by Air India.
Business Class cabins will see a significant overhaul with the latest-generation seats and best-in-class in-flight entertainment systems replacing the outdated products. The retrofit may also include a different configuration to the Business Class cabin with direct aisle access replacing the existing 2-3-2 set-up.
A First Class cabin will be retained on the Boeing 777s, though it is unknown if this product will be completely overhauled or undergo cosmetic upgrades.
Air India reports that the newly configured aircraft will enter service in mid-2024 — coinciding with the Vistara merger. However, short-term gains may come from the airline leasing 30 Airbus and Boeing aircraft from former airlines. These include Boeing 777-200LRs from Delta Air Lines, which contain the Delta One Suites — providing a substantial and immediate passenger upgrade to the existing Air India Business Class product.
Read the First-Class.com review of Air India Business Class
Read the First-Class.com article on Vistara's B787-9 Dreamliner
