Air India is starting a big update of its fleet. On Sunday, the company said it would modify 26 of its older B787-8 Dreamliner planes. This is part of a $400 million strategy to make the planes more reliable, cut down on operational problems, and make the entire experience better for passengers. The airline has had a lot of operational problems lately, and this project is meant to bring its fleet up to date with the latest industry standards.
Full Reliability Improvement Program
The Reliability Enhancement Programme, as it is formally known, will focus on bringing the avionics and other important parts of the 26 old B787-8 planes up to date. The airline said that this would include a thorough examination of each plane’s maintenance records and the making of changes suggested by Boeing’s service information bulletins.
In July 2025, the first Dreamliner to have this upgrade flew to a Boeing factory in Victorville, California. A second plane is set to follow in October 2025, and both should be back in service by December 2025. By the middle of 2027, the whole Dreamliner fleet program is expected to be done.
The modified B787-8s will have a new three-class cabin layout in addition to the technological modifications. This will include Business, Premium Economy, and Economy Class seating.
Wider Fleet Upgrades
The airline is modernizing more than just its Dreamliner fleet. Air India expects to start renovating 13 of its older Boeing 777-300ER planes in early 2027, in addition to the 26 Dreamliners. The work should be done by October 2028. However, this schedule has been changed because of continuous difficulties in the worldwide supply chain.
Also, a modification program for 27 of its old A320neo planes, which started in September of last year, is on target to be done this September. So far, 16 of these planes have been updated. Air India also revealed that it would refit 13 of its older A321ceo planes, which were originally going to be taken out of service.
The Tata Group owns the airline, which now has about 190 planes in its fleet, both narrow-body and wide-body.
Safety in the News
This big update comes following a terrible event on June 12, when a 787-8 crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad on its way to London Gatwick, killing 260 people. After the incident, all of Air India’s Dreamliners, including the 26 older 787-8s and seven newer 787-9s, were thoroughly checked for safety. This included checking their fuel switches. The airline’s new retrofit program is a smart way to improve passenger comfort and make the fleet safer and more reliable in the long run.