Air India has been in a rush to refurbish its old aircraft, which has led to considerable criticism. As reported in December 2024, the airline had planned to launch the 787 retrofit in April 2025 and anticipates the aircraft will return to the fleet by October 2025. For the Boeing 777, the retrofit will take even longer and only undergo a “refresh” in 2025. Air India began refreshing its Boeing 777 fleet in February 2025, amid global supply chain disruptions that affected its comprehensive retrofit plans. The first aircraft, primarily used on US and Canadian routes, was the 17-year-old Boeing 777 registered VT-ALK.
Earlier this week, LiveFromALounge published the update on the start of the 787 retrofit efforts, which was before we received official confirmation. Now we have an official update.
Air India initiates Boeing 787 Retrofit Programme.
Air India has announced updates on its USD 400 million fleet retrofit programme. As confirmed by us earlier, Air India has commenced the widebody retrofit programme for its legacy Boeing 787-8 aircraft, with the first of 26 aircraft (VT-ANT) having flown to a Boeing facility in Victorville, California (United States) in July 2025. A second aircraft is scheduled to depart for the same facility in October 2025, with both expected to return to service in December of the year.
According to earlier updates, the airline was to launch the 787 retrofit in April 2025 and expected the aircraft to return to the fleet by October 2025.
VT-ANT at the Air India hangar in Mumbai before departure to Victorville (Image Courtesy Air India)
The retrofit programme for Air India’s Boeing 787-8s is expected to be completed by mid-2027. It will introduce brand-new interiors featuring a three-class configuration with Business Class, Premium Economy, and Economy Class seats. This includes the installation of brand-new seats in each cabin, advanced inflight entertainment (IFE) systems, new carpeting, curtains, upholstery, lavatories, galleys and more – all aligned with the latest Air India product and customer experience standards.
Although these will differ from the initial plans Air India had (thanks to supply chain constraints). As a part of the Reliability Enhancement Programme, Air India will also upgrade the avionics and other critical components of the 26 legacy Boeing 787-8 aircraft to the latest industry standards, thereby improving their reliability. The programme entails analysing maintenance and configuration records for these aircraft, followed by the implementation of recommended modifications based on Boeing’s service information bulletins. This is intended to reduce operational disruptions for both Air India and its customers.
Additionally, seven of the 26 B787-8s will undergo heavy, scheduled maintenance (D-checks) at Victorville, ensuring the fleet’s long-term operational excellence.
Air India will initiate the Boeing 777 retrofit with a delay.
Starting in early 2027, Air India will additionally retrofit 13 of its legacy Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, aiming for completion by October 2028, with the timeline having shifted due to supply chain delays. These are currently being “refreshed”. However, the product here will not be as shown in the video below, but somewhat different.
The 13 aircraft to be retrofitted are the earlier 777-300ERs delivered to Air India, not the ones leased or bought from a lessor who had inherited them after Etihad stopped using them.
Air India’s narrowbody retrofit is progressing well.
Air India’s narrowbody retrofit programme for its 27 legacy A320neo aircraft, which commenced last September, is progressing according to schedule, with completion targeted for September 2025. The addition of a third line at GMR’s MRO in Hyderabad has expedited the process.
To date, 16 A320neo aircraft have been retrofitted, with the 15th aircraft returning to service on August 9, 2025, and the 16th aircraft scheduled to return to service on August 11, 2025. The remaining 11 A320neo will be retrofitted by September 2025.
These upgraded A320neo aircraft, featuring all-new cabins, are being progressively deployed on key domestic and short-haul international routes, thereby enhancing the passenger experience.
Here is the overall timeline of Air India’s aircraft retrofit efforts.
Bottomline
Overall, after fits and false starts, Air India is finally preparing to begin the upgrade of its widebody fleet. The airline sent its first Boeing 787-8 to Victorville, California, in July 2025, and the second aircraft is expected to depart in October 2025. The airline plans to retrofit all its Boeing 787-8 aircraft by mid-2027. The 787-9s of Vistara are not a part of the retrofit. The 777s are currently being refreshed and will undergo retrofitting starting in 2027, with completion expected by 2028. The 777-200LRs are not a part of that project, and they will likely all be gone by then.
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