Air India receives first Dreamliner in four years after privatisation

Tata Group-owned Air India has received its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner after nearly four years, marking the airline's return to acquiring wide-body aircraft since its privatisation. The last line fit Dreamliner was inducted in October 2017 under government ownership. This new aircraft is the first custom-made Dreamliner produced for Air India post-privatisation.

According to an official, Air India completed the title transfer of the Dreamliner at Boeing's Everett factory in Seattle on January 7. The aircraft is expected to reach India after inspections by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. It features a three-class configuration: economy, premium economy, and business class seats.

This delivery is the 52nd aircraft from the 220 Boeing jets Air India ordered in 2023, and the first wide-body from that order to join the fleet. Air India Express has already taken delivery of 51 narrow-body Boeing 737-8s, including its first custom-built plane inducted in late December.

Since the Tata Group takeover in January 2022, Air India has placed orders for 350 Airbus and 220 Boeing aircraft. Six Airbus A350s have already been inducted. The Air India Group now operates over 300 planes, with 185 under the Air India brand and the rest with Air India Express.

The new Dreamliner joins a fleet that already includes 26 Boeing 787-8s and six Boeing 787-9s inherited from the erstwhile Vistara, which has merged with Air India. The airline continues to focus on increasing wide-body aircraft to support international expansion and service upgrades.

A dozen more legacy Dreamliners with refreshed interiors are expected to return to service by 2026.

In November last year, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said the airline expects to operate 81 per cent of its international flights with upgraded aircraft by the end of 2026.