Air India has announced that it will refurbish its cabin interiors on its legacy wide body fleet comprising 27 Boeing B787-8 and 13 B777 aircraft.
The cabin upgrade for all 40 aircraft is being undertaken at about INR 3,200 crore ($400m).
Air India will also introduce Premium Economy Cabins on both aircraft types as part of the upgrade. However, it will retain the First Class cabin on its B777 fleet.
The overhaul will include the fitment of the latest generation seats and best-in-class inflight entertainment across all classes. The first Air India with upgraded interiors is slated to enter service in mid-2024.
Commenting on the widebody cabin refurbishment programme, Campbell Wilson, MD & CEO, Air India, said, “Under our Vihaan.AI transformation programme, Air India has committed to attain the highest standards of product and service befitting of a world class airline. We know that, at present, the cabin product on our 40 legacy widebody aircraft falls short of this standard. Although the project commenced some months ago, we are delighted to now publicly announce this significant investment on a complete interior refit, and we are confident that, when revealed, the new interiors will delight customers and show Air India in a new light.”
Campbell said that Air India was working closely with its partners to accelerate the refit process as fast as possible. Air India has engaged leading London-based product design companies, JPA Design and Trendworks, to assist with the cabin interior design elements of this refurbishment programme.
In the meantime, the lease of at least 11 new widebody aircraft with brand-new interiors would improve Air India’s offering at the earliest opportunity, Campbell added.
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