NEW DELHI: Air India (AI) has committed to spend $400 million (about Rs 3200 crore) to give cabins of its wide body fleet, comprising 27 Boeing B787-8 and 13 B777 aircraft, a makeover and introduce a premium economy service on medium and long-haul routes.
The full-service carrier, which underwent ownership transfer in January from the government to Tata Group, trails much behind Gulf and European carriers when it comes to offering premium services on its flight.
This, as per many aviation experts, has resulted in loss of market share for Air India in the overseas market. Currently, AI carries nearly 11% of all international traffic to and from India and it has ambitions to take this share to 30% in next five years. The airline said the refurbishment includes the addition of latest generation seats and best in-class inflight entertainment across all classes. The first class cabin will also be retained on 777s.
AI has engaged leading London-based product design companies, JPA Design and Trendworks, to assist with the cabin interior design elements of this refurbishment programme. This lengthy process and the time required to manufacture seats is expected to lead to the first aircraft entering service in mid-2024. Campbell Wilson, MD & CEO of AI, said,
“We know, at present, the cabin product on our 40 legacy widebody aircraft falls short of this standard.” “We are working with partners to accelerate the refit process as fast as possible and, in the meantime, leasing in at least 11 new widebody aircraft with brand new interiors to improve our offering,” added Wilson.