August 10, 2025: Air India has published a full report on its $400 million plan to improve its fleet. This shows that the airline really wants to make flying more fun for its passengers by updating its older planes. The airline is doing everything it can to improve the interiors, technology, and reliability of both its widebody and narrowbody fleets.
The widebody modification will first happen to the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner fleet. In July 2025, the first plane, VT-ANT, was sent to a Boeing factory in California. It should be ready to use again by December 2025. By the middle of 2027, all 26 B787-8 planes should be fully updated. The changes will add three additional classes to the jet, each with new seats, better entertainment systems, and new bathrooms. There will be three levels: Business, Premium Economy, and Economy.
In early 2027, the airline will also start repairing up its 13 old Boeing 777-300ERs. They hope to be done by October 2028. The deadline has been moved back due of problems with the supply chain all across the world.
There is also good progress on the work on 27 old Airbus A320neo narrowbody planes. It started in September of 2024. By September 2025, the whole fleet should be ready. There have already been adjustments to 15 planes. The 16th jet will be back in service by August 11. New cabins with new seats and high-tech features are being added to important domestic and short-haul international routes. GMR’s MRO plant in Hyderabad now has a third line for retrofitting, which has sped up the process.
Air India is also working on a Reliability Enhancement Program for the B787-8 fleet to make things run more smoothly. This means fixing avionics and systems such that they are less likely to break.