Air India’s $400-million fleet refurbishment in progress; 67 planes being upgraded

Air India’s extensive $400-million fleet refurbishment programme is currently underway, focusing on modernising the interiors of its legacy aircraft. A total of 67 planes — comprising 27 Airbus A320neos, 27 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, and 13 Boeing 777s (interim heavy refresh until the full retrofit of B777s commences) — are being upgraded in phases over the next two years.

This refurbishment involves a complete interior transformation, including the installation of new seats in a three-class cabin layout — Business, Premium Economy, and Economy. Additionally, the aircraft will receive upgraded carpets, curtains, lavatories, and other cabin features. Each plane will also be repainted in the airline’s updated livery, reflecting Air India’s rebranding efforts.

The first Boeing 787-8 is scheduled to undergo retrofitting starting mid-June 2025, with the remaining 26 Dreamliners expected to be refurbished by mid 2027. Five of the 27-legacy single-aisle Airbus A320neos have already been retrofitted and the remaining 22 will be retrofitted by September 2025. The rest of the legacy wide body fleet (Boeing 777) will follow, with an interim heavy refresh currently underway, which is scheduled to be completed by November 2025.

In an official statement, Air India said, “The retrofit programme is an important step forward in Air India’s transformation journey. As we advance, it will help provide a consistent experience across the fleet with a three-class cabin configuration, featuring luxurious Business Class seats, India’s only Premium Economy, and an enhanced Economy cabin.”

Currently, more than half of Air India’s aircraft already feature upgraded or new interiors. By October 2025, 82% of its single-aisle aircraft are expected to offer refreshed cabin interiors. At present, 106 of the airline’s current total fleet of 198 aircraft are already new or with significantly improved interiors.