Air India announces massive upgrade to international routes (including Canada, the UK and Australia)

Air India just inducted its first Boeing 787-9 in the Air India Skin, and the aircraft is now flying between Mumbai and Frankfurt. The airline has at least three more Boeing 787-9 aircraft that are expected to join the fleet, apart from the Boeing 787-8 aircraft, which are undergoing retrofits, and 2 are expected to join back within the month of February 2026 itself. Earlier this month, we wrote about some Air India route upgrades that it has now confirmed. More upgrades have also been announced, scheduled to go live during the Northern Summer 2026 schedule, which will launch towards the end of March 2026.

Air India announces product upgrades for Northern Summer 2026

Air India has announced that it will deploy aircraft with new, retrofitted, or upgraded cabin interiors on key international routes as part of its Northern Summer Schedule 2026, thereby increasing capacity and enhancing connectivity on select long-haul routes. The changes to Air India’s schedule and product deployment on select international routes are as follows:

Between February and March 2026

• Effective February 14, 2026, Air India’s Delhi-Tokyo (Haneda) route will operate with ex-Vistara Boeing 787-9 aircraft featuring a three-class cabin configuration, introducing Premium Economy on the route. This deployment adds 2408 seats between Delhi and Tokyo (Haneda) every month.
• Starting March 1, 2026, Delhi – Toronto frequency will increase from 7x weekly to 10x weekly.
• Starting March 29, 2026, Delhi-Seoul (Incheon) frequency will increase from 5x weekly to 6x weekly, and the new Delhi-Shanghai flights will increase from 4x weekly to 5x weekly, adding 2048 seats on each route every month.

From July 2026

• Effective July 1, 2026, Mumbai-London (Heathrow) flights will operate with a combination of Air India’s incoming Boeing 787-9s and retrofitted legacy B787-8s, both featuring all-new cabin interiors. These flights will replace the currently deployed B777-300ER on the route, which already features upgraded cabin interiors.
• The Delhi-Melbourne daily flights will operate with Air India’s B777-300ER featuring upgraded cabin interiors, thus introducing First Class on the route. The aircraft features 8 suites in First Class, 40 fully flat beds in Business Class and 280 seats in Economy Class, adding nearly 4,000 seats every month between Delhi and Melbourne.

From August 1, 2026

• Bengaluru-London (Heathrow) flights will operate with the airline’s retrofitted B787-8 aircraft, featuring new cabin interiors, thus introducing Premium Economy on the route. With this, all Air India flights to and from London (Heathrow) will be serviced by aircraft featuring new cabin interiors.

• 7x weekly flights on the Delhi-Toronto route will operate with Air India’s incoming, new B787-9 aircraft, featuring all-new cabin interiors in a three-class configuration and introducing Premium Economy on the route. The remaining 3x weekly flights will continue to operate with Air India’s legacy B777-300ER. With this, more than 50% of Air India’s North America flights will be operated with new or upgraded cabin interiors.

• Air India’s flights to Birmingham from Amritsar and Delhi, and to London (Gatwick) from Ahmedabad and Amritsar, will be operated with Air India’s legacy B777-300ER, replacing the currently deployed legacy B787-8 and introducing First Class on these routes.

New and retrofitted Boeing 787 Aircraft

Air India began retrofitting its legacy B787-8s last year, an exercise that will see 26 aircraft refitted with brand-new cabin interiors custom-styled for Air India and repainted in the airline’s new livery. The first two of these retrofitted aircraft are expected to return to service in the coming weeks, with several more to be retrofitted progressively throughout 2026. Additionally, Air India expects deliveries of three new, line-fit (or made-for-Air India) B787-9 and two line-fit A350-1000 aircraft in 2026.

Bottomline

The much-promised Air India upgrade to the product experience is finally on its way. The airline has been talking about it for a few years; however, with Boeing’s issues finally getting out of the way, and their turn in the queue coming up to get new seats, the airline is finally able to show new aircraft and retrofitted aircraft, paired with a new lounge at Delhi and an upcoming one at San Francisco. This is the first of many upgrades that will see the light of day in 2026.

What do you think of the resurgence of Air India with the new products in 2026 and onwards?

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