Air India will become “world-class global airline in the heart of India” – once it overcomes aircraft and seat delays

Indian Flag Airlines Air India’s nose to tail updates are slowly developing as airlines await new planes and seats, which is key to its turnaround.

The first of 80 long-haul Airbus and Boeing aircraft ordered by Delhi-based Star Alliance Carrier will not start arriving until 2026 – if everything goes as planned. Waiting for Air India CEO Campbell Wilson to talk about the new route connecting India to the world is this: the conversation.

Air India’s new seats need to refresh the aging interior of its Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft, which is facing one to two years of delays, complicating the turnover situation.

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While none of these challenges are unique to Air India, they stand out given the major missions being undertaken by airlines. Backed by Tata Group’s Tata Group, Wilson is in the midst of years of long-term custody, state-owned airline turnover, and was once synonymous with uneven services, dramatic financial losses and mediocre products.

As its slogan says, the ambition is to turn airlines into “a world-class global airline in the heart of India” and in just five years or until 2027.

Waiting for new aircraft to grow

“The happy issue of India is that we point out wherever we can fill it,” Wilson said at Air India’s intercontinental growth ambitions at the annual meeting of IATA in the airline trade group on June 2.

The challenge is the plane. Delivery of 50 A350-900 and -1000, 10 777-9 and 30 787-9 that Air India has ordered in 2026 will take years to arrive.

Wilson said Air India only expects only two wide-body delivery this year: an A350 and 1787.

This is in stark contrast to the period when Tata Group bought Air India in 20022, when it was able to quickly acquire six new A350-900s ordered by Aeroflot but never delivered, but it was never delivered (otherwise called the “White Tail” aircraft).

Once new aircraft start to arrive, North American and European destinations are the expansion list of Air India, Wilson said.

“Obviously, there are many North American destinations to fly to,” he said.

Wilson added that the expansion to North America will include other routes to new cities and existing destinations. Air India’s seven North American destinations are constantly serving Delhi, with growth likely including new in Bangalore and Mumbai.

Air India currently flies to five U.S. airports: Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), John Kennedy International Airport (JFK), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Dulles International Airport (IAD), with program data from aviation analytics company Cirium Cirium cirium Shays. It also flies to Canada’s Pearson International Airport (YYZ) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR).

In addition to flights to Delhi, Air India serves New York from Mumbai as well as San Francisco in Bangalore and Mumbai.

Wilson feels mom about where Air India is considering expansion, but Atlanta, Houston and Los Angeles are home to a large population in India, but currently lacks a market for uninterrupted flights to the country.

Houston and Los Angeles also happen to be the largest hubs of the United Airlines, the US partner of the Indian Airlines.

Air India’s long-distance fleet refresh begins in July

Air India is in a misfortune, with some of the long-haul aircraft (the new A350 once bound to Aeroflot) adopting new onboard products. Private lounge seats in business class and contemporary economy class are “as good as anyone.” Wilson said.

The Cirium schedule shows that the A350S is currently only flying to London, Newark and New York City in Delhi.

Unfortunately, the rest of the airline’s long-distance fleet, the 777S and 787S, lack the same cabin accessories.

“The remaining challenge is actually that we need to raise the rest of the traditional aircraft to the same standard,” Wilson said.

He said the transformation of the Air India 787 fleet will begin in July and will begin flights in September or October before Indian regulators can authenticate new seats. The rest of the 787 fleet will be renovated in 2027.

Work in the 777s will begin in 2026 and end by the end of 2027 if everything goes according to the latest plan.

New images in Gurugram

If you head south from the center of Delhi, pass Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL), and arrive at the city representing Indian modernity, Gurugram, you can get a glimpse of the New Air India. The airline’s training center there will be about 3,000 cockpits and cabin crews passing through the hall at any given time when the year is completed.

Contemporary mid-rise buildings have a feeling of any corporate office anywhere: steel, universal colors and brand grand, and healthy doses of a healthy Indian affluent history.

But for Air India, it represents only one of many steps in its turnaround. When Tata took over the airline, the training center replaced 10 separate facilities scattered around India. Once completed, it will accommodate pilot and stewardess training needs from all airlines, including 10 pilot simulators from Airbus and 111 Boeing companies. There are even Starbucks.

Since Wilson took over, this has been just one of many aspects of the airline restructuring.

“We have replaced about 140 IT systems,” he said. “We have merged 63 homes across India into a new headquarters. We have recruited about 15,000 employees, [and] Let go of about 6,000 employees. Over the past two years, we have picked up and dropped off a new plane approximately every six days. We also merged four airlines into two. ”

“It’s a lot to do without realizing this,” he said.

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