In 2022, Air India announced that it would set aside USD 400 million to retrofit its existing 777 and 787 wide-body aircraft. The airline was supposed to start retrofitting the wide-body aircraft and follow up with the narrow-body airliners. However, it flipped the plan, and the narrowbody aircraft started to go through a retrofit first.
Air India A320neo narrowbody retrofit completed.
Air India announced the commencement of its over USD 400 million retrofit programme for a phased revamp of 67 legacy aircraft in its fleet. Air India will utilise this retrofit to refresh the product to the new Air India experience — featuring a three-cabin configuration, new seats, carpets, curtains, and upholstery. The programme commenced with 27 narrow-body Airbus A320neo aircraft, followed by 40 wide-body Boeing aircraft.
The first narrow-body aircraft to commence the refit program was VT-EXN, an A320neo that entered the hangar on Monday, September 16, 2024. After prototyping and necessary regulatory approvals, VT-EXN entered commercial service in December 2024, joining the newly delivered and operational Air India A320neo aircraft that already feature upgraded cabin interiors and configuration.
VT-EXN, Air India’s leased A320neo, enters the hangar (Image Courtesy Air India)
This exercise moved at top speed, with the entire batch of 27 aircraft being completed and returning to service as of October 31, 2025. This means that within 11 months, Air India and its partners completed the retrofit. With these, combined with 14 newly delivered A320neo aircraft and those integrated following the merger of Vistara into Air India, the airline now operates 104 A320 Family aircraft, featuring new or upgraded cabin interiors.
Air India now operates 3,024 weekly flights across 82 domestic and short-haul international routes using this fleet with 3 class aircraft:
- Domestic India routes: All flights on the busiest domestic routes such as Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Hyderabad, Delhi-Bengaluru, Delhi-Kolkata, Delhi-Chennai, Mumbai-Bengaluru, Mumbai-Hyderabad, Mumbai-Chennai and Mumbai-Kolkata, in addition to many others.
- Short-haul international routes: All flights to and from Bangkok, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Bali (Denpasar), Manila, Mauritius, Malé (Maldives), Riyadh, Jeddah, and most flights to and from Singapore.
The retrofit included 3,564 new Economy Class seats, 648 new Premium Economy Class seats, and 216 new Business Class seats.
Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, said
We continue to make good progress on the upgradation of our fleet. With over 100 of our A320 Family aircraft now featuring modern interiors, our guests will enjoy a superior travel experience across our extensive network.
As we mark the end of the first phase of our narrowbody retrofit, we remain committed to elevating passenger experience and offering cabin products of global standards to our guests.
One of the last retrofit aircraft has also been painted in the Star Alliance livery.
What’s inside the retrofit Air India A320neos?
The retrofit A320neo aircraft features eight seats in Business, 24 extra-legroom seats in Premium Economy, and 132 seats in Economy, offering a more comprehensive choice to its guests. Subtle cabin lighting, spacious legroom, and a wider pitch, along with modern features like portable electronic device (PED) holders and USB ports with Type A and C options, round out the offering.
The Business cabins offer 40-inch ergonomic seats with a 7-inch recline, adjustable armrests, footrests, and backrests, as well as a tray table that deploys at the push of a button. The tray table includes a personal Electronic Device (PED) holder with multiple charging ports. The Premium Economy cabins provide larger seats with superior upholstery, a four-way adjustable headrest, a 32-inch pitch with a 4-inch recline, a PED holder and USB ports. Economy seats are ergonomically designed with comfortable upholstery, a 28-29-inch seat pitch, 4-inch recline, and ample legroom, featuring amenities such as a PED holder and USB ports.
Air India’s new Economy Class seat for the A320neo
Which will be the next aircraft to be retrofitted?
Starting in 2026, Air India will retrofit 13 of its legacy A321 aircraft (the VT-PPx series). These aircraft are being sequenced for refit and a new livery, along with the erstwhile Vistara fleet, over the next year.
Air India also commenced the widebody retrofit programme for its legacy B787-8 aircraft, with the first two of 26 aircraft having flown to a Boeing facility in Victorville, California (United States). The first one flew away in July 2025. The programme, now scheduled for completion by mid-2027, will introduce brand-new interiors featuring a three-class configuration with Business Class, Premium Economy, and Economy Class seats.
Starting in early 2027, Air India also hopes to begin work on its 13 legacy Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, aiming for completion by October 2028.
Bottomline
Air India has completed the first phase of its ambitious retrofit project for its narrowbody aircraft fleet, which is equipped with a new 3-cabin seat configuration. In the next phase, 13 A321 aircraft (legacy aircraft) will be retrofitted, as well as the Vistara A320neos, although Air India is not clear if they will be retrofitted or just repainted. The wide-body retrofit has also begun and is expected to continue through October 2028, according to current projections.
What do you make of the Air India Retrofit exercise at the current momen?
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Has AI announced what the hard product is gonna look like on their B787s & the A21Ns? AFAIK, they released renders of B777 hard product(which they have since changed I’ve heard) but not the B787, right?