Air India kicks off 2026 by inducting the first Boeing 787-9, built for them

Air India’s fleet renewal journey has been the stuff of talk in airline boardrooms across the globe, and a topic of discussion for every Indian who has ever flown the airline. After all, people sometimes think that fixing aircraft costs as much time and money, perhaps, as heading to a coffee shop and ordering their favourite cuppa. Usually, it is far more complicated. So, to that effect, there is some good news.

Air India’s fleet renewal plans

Air India’s fleet was in a pretty dilapidated state when the airline was handed over to the Tata Sons. For instance, here is the state of an Air India 787-8 (VT-ANE) that I flew the day after the airline handover to Tata Sons was completed.

Maybe that plane is still the same, but there has been a lot of progress made since then. Air India ordered 470 aircraft, including 70 new widebodies. Then it ordered another batch of aircraft. And aircraft are not like coffee, but the change is now arriving.

Air India flies its first linefit Boeing 787-9 aircraft

Air India has taken delivery of its first purpose-built Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, a milestone that carries significance far beyond the arrival of another aircraft. The jet, registered VT-AWA, touched down at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday, January 11, after a nearly 17-hour ferry flight from Boeing’s Everett factory in the United States. What might appear, at first glance, to be a routine fleet addition is better understood as a meaningful milestone in a long transformation programme.

The most important nuance here is that this 787-9 is built to Air India’s specifications — a “line-fit” aircraft — rather than being repurposed from another airline’s order. Line-fit means the cabin interior, systems and configuration were installed on Boeing’s production line for Air India, rather than being retrofitted after delivery. This is the first such widebody in over eight years and the first truly new widebody for the airline since Tata Group’s takeover in early 2022.

To put that into perspective: Air India has received new Airbus widebodies in recent years, but those A350-900s were originally intended for Aeroflot and only later transferred to Air India due to geopolitical issues — they were not purpose-built to Air India’s specifications. On the Boeing side, the airline operates inherited 787-9s from Vistara and has a large fleet of 787-8s that are now going through reconfiguration. Until now, none of Air India’s widebody jets have rolled off the line with the new interiors the airline intends to standardise.

Interiors on the new Boeing 787-9 aircraft

From a traveller’s perspective, this 787-9 should be closer to what has long been promised: a modern, consistent product across long-haul aircraft. The airline has already confirmed a three-class cabin on these jets — Business, Premium Economy and Economy — and while detailed hard-product images and seat specs haven’t been rolled out publicly yet, I can confirm to you that the new sub-fleet and reconfigured Dreamliners will feature the Adient (now Elevate) Ascent suite in Business. This is a contemporary, 1-2-1 layout seen on other operators’ newest 787-9 aircraft, representing a clear upgrade over many of Air India’s existing cabins. There are 296 (passenger) seats in total on this aircraft.

First step and lots to be done

But it’s wise to be measured in our approach to this milestone. Execution has been slow. When Air India was privatised four years ago, there was broad anticipation of rapid modernisation. Instead, change has been gradual and at times glacial, due both to aircraft supply chain constraints industry-wide and the sheer scale of the airline’s ambitious orders: Air India has hundreds of aircraft on firm order with both Boeing and Airbus, with the bulk of deliveries concentrated from mid-2025 through the latter half of the decade. The only thing that came in quickly was the white tails.

That scale matters. A single delivery will by itself transform an airline’s long-haul experience — particularly when many of its trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific flights are still operated on ageing Boeing 777s and earlier Dreamliners. The real change will come when multiple line-fit 787-9s enter service, older widebodies are fully retrofitted with new cabins, and additional A350-1000s bolster the long-haul trunk.

Indeed, the airline’s official press release makes clear that this 787-9 is part of a broader cadence: six widebody deliveries are expected through 2026, including A350-1000s and additional 787-9s, and roughly 60% of Air India’s widebody fleet should have refreshed interiors by year-end.

With the legacy Boeing 787-8s gradually returning to service with new cabins and updated interiors, the hope is to build both consistency and a competitive passenger experience across the network.

When will Air India reveal the first route?

The new Boeing 787-9 is expected to enter international long-haul commercial service in February 2026, and the operational schedule will be announced shortly, the airline said in a press release.

Bottomline

Air India has taken delivery of a Boeing 787-9, the first wide-body plane the airline has acquired since being privatised, and it has interiors customised for the airline. This will show us the true breadth of the airline’s thought process in selecting the seats and the customer experience.  The plane will most likely make a reveal at Wings India 2026 in Hyderabad before heading to commercial flights.

What do you think of Air India’s Boeing 787-9 induction?

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