Air India to complete A320 neo fleet upgrade by mid-2025

A320 neo upgrades: Air India announced on Tuesday that it expects to finish upgrading its fleet of 27 legacy A320 neo aircraft by mid-2025. This upgrade will introduce a three-class configuration business, premium economy, and economy across its entire narrow-body fleet.

The airline, owned by the Tata Group, launched a $400 million refurbishment program on Monday. This project will cover all 67 of its legacy narrow-body and wide-body aircraft, including 40 Boeing planes.

The refurbishment began with the single-aisle A320 neo aircraft. After prototyping and obtaining regulatory approvals, the first upgraded aircraft, VT-EXN, is anticipated to resume service by December 2024.

Monthly aircraft retrofitting planned

According to Air India, between three and four aircraft per month will undergo retrofitting following VT-EXN, with the entire narrow-body fleet expected to be upgraded by mid-2025.

Wide-body aircraft upgrades will start in early 2025, depending on supply chain conditions. The airline’s wide-body fleet includes Boeing 787 and 777 planes.

Air India’s Engineering team will manage the project in collaboration with global OEMs such as Collins, Astronics, and Thales. The initiative will result in the installation of over 15,000 next-generation seats across the business, premium economy, and economy classes.

Passengers have previously raised concerns regarding service issues, particularly with inflight entertainment systems on the airline’s legacy aircraft.

The refitted A320 neo aircraft will feature 8 business class seats, 24 premium economy seats, and 132 economy seats. Additionally, the planes will be equipped with portable device holders and USB ports.

Wide-body upgrades progress

Air India also stated that final preparations for the wide-body fleet’s interior upgrades are ongoing.

"The launch of the narrow-body fleet refurbishment is a key milestone in our efforts to improve customer experience. Our wide-body aircraft will also undergo upgrades in due course," said Campbell Wilson, Air India’s CEO and Managing Director.

Air India's current fleet consists of 142 aircraft, including around 60 wide-body planes. The airline’s wide-body fleet also includes 11 Boeing 777s and 25 leased A320 family aircraft.

Since taking over Air India in January 2022, Tata Group has implemented a transformation plan focused on fleet expansion and network growth. The airline has also started flying wide-body A350 planes on select routes.

(With PTI Inputs)