Air India CEO Campbell Wilson on Tuesday indicated that the airline might place orders for more Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
As the airline prepares to start commercial services with its custom-made Boeing 787-9 on the Mumbai-Frankfurt route from February 1, he also said that in 2027 and 2028, "you will see a huge transformation in the Air India long-haul wide-body fleet".
Wilson, who is the CEO & MD of Air India, made the comments during a brief media interaction at Begumpet airport on Tuesday after the special flight operated with the new Dreamliner landed there.
The first custom-made Dreamliner VT-AWA for Air India, post takeover by the Tata Group in January 2022, will start commercial operations on February 1.
During the special flight, Wilson, in a message onboard, said, "at least 20 line fit aircraft (are expected)... I say at least to hint at something that might be coming".
He was referring to the orders for 20 Dreamliners, and one of them has already joined the fleet.
His comments also indicated that the carrier is likely to place orders for more Dreamliners.
After privatisation, Air India has placed orders for 570 planes, including narrow bodies and wide bodies. Out of them, 27 aircraft have joined the fleet so far.
"The arrival of this new Boeing 787-9, the first production widebody from the 470 aircraft-strong order signed three years ago, is a significant moment in Air India's 5-year Vihaan.Al transformation programme," Wilson said in a release.
Nearly 100 new and leased aircraft have already joined the Air India group's fleet since privatisation, while this is the first plane to be designed by and for Air India, he said.
Air India will operate its new Boeing 787-9 aircraft with certain limitations as the Tata Group-owned airline is awaiting approvals from the US watchdog FAA for the sliding privacy doors in the plane's business class suites and for 18 economy class seats.
The new cabin interiors on this aircraft will soon become the standard across the airline's entire Boeing 787 fleet as, in addition to 19 more production aircraft, Wilson said and added that all 26 Boeing 787-8s are being retrofitted.
"The retrofit programme is well underway, with the first upgraded aircraft due to return to service in the coming weeks and the remainder of the fleet by mid-2027," he said.
The airline said the aircraft has mood lighting systems, drawing inspiration from ancient Indian wellness traditions.
"The new mood lighting offers 10 custom scenes designed to align with passengers' circadian rhythms and aid melatonin regulation, enhancing wellbeing on long-haul flights," it added.
In the context of the new Dreamliner joining the fleet after a delay, Wilson said, "It has been a long wait, longer than we expected, due to industry supply chain challenges".
As the airline prepares to start commercial services with its custom-made Boeing 787-9 on the Mumbai-Frankfurt route from February 1, he also said that in 2027 and 2028, "you will see a huge transformation in the Air India long-haul wide-body fleet".
Wilson, who is the CEO & MD of Air India, made the comments during a brief media interaction at Begumpet airport on Tuesday after the special flight operated with the new Dreamliner landed there.
The first custom-made Dreamliner VT-AWA for Air India, post takeover by the Tata Group in January 2022, will start commercial operations on February 1.
During the special flight, Wilson, in a message onboard, said, "at least 20 line fit aircraft (are expected)... I say at least to hint at something that might be coming".
He was referring to the orders for 20 Dreamliners, and one of them has already joined the fleet.
His comments also indicated that the carrier is likely to place orders for more Dreamliners.
After privatisation, Air India has placed orders for 570 planes, including narrow bodies and wide bodies. Out of them, 27 aircraft have joined the fleet so far.
"The arrival of this new Boeing 787-9, the first production widebody from the 470 aircraft-strong order signed three years ago, is a significant moment in Air India's 5-year Vihaan.Al transformation programme," Wilson said in a release.
Nearly 100 new and leased aircraft have already joined the Air India group's fleet since privatisation, while this is the first plane to be designed by and for Air India, he said.
Air India will operate its new Boeing 787-9 aircraft with certain limitations as the Tata Group-owned airline is awaiting approvals from the US watchdog FAA for the sliding privacy doors in the plane's business class suites and for 18 economy class seats.
The new cabin interiors on this aircraft will soon become the standard across the airline's entire Boeing 787 fleet as, in addition to 19 more production aircraft, Wilson said and added that all 26 Boeing 787-8s are being retrofitted.
"The retrofit programme is well underway, with the first upgraded aircraft due to return to service in the coming weeks and the remainder of the fleet by mid-2027," he said.
The airline said the aircraft has mood lighting systems, drawing inspiration from ancient Indian wellness traditions.
"The new mood lighting offers 10 custom scenes designed to align with passengers' circadian rhythms and aid melatonin regulation, enhancing wellbeing on long-haul flights," it added.
In the context of the new Dreamliner joining the fleet after a delay, Wilson said, "It has been a long wait, longer than we expected, due to industry supply chain challenges".
