Air India has put its first retrofitted Airbus A320, VT-EXN, back in service following a full cabin makeover, a milestone in the carrier’s $400-million retrofit programme. The programme aims to refurbish 67 old aircraft, comprising 27 narrow-body and 40 wide-body jets, acquired during the airline’s government ownership era. The retrofitting of the 27 narrow-body aircraft started last September and is scheduled for completion by the July-September quarter.
VT-EXN, now reinvigorated under the Tata Group’s new Air India brand image and product guidelines, boasts a complete cabin makeover. This encompasses a three-class configuration with eight business class seats, 24 premium economy seats, and 132 economy seats, as opposed to the airline’s previous two-class configuration. Upgrades consist of new seats, contemporary cabin interiors, upgraded carpets, curtains, and panels, all imbued with Air India’s new design language. Other features such as enhanced legroom, broader seat pitch, personal device mounts, and USB outlets are also included in the refit.
These new A320neos will fly in tandem with 14 newly added A320neos, providing a uniform passenger experience on domestic and short-haul international flights. In the meantime, the wide-body retrofit program will start in April, with the first Boeing 787 being refurbished and Boeing 777 plane retrofits coming later in the year. The wide-body program is to wrap up by mid-2027.
The cabin refurbishment works are at the heart of Air India’s transformation plan as the airline seeks to lose the image of being old and align with international standards after it was taken over by the Tata Group in the first half of 2022.
Leave feedback about this