Air India is in the midst of a turnaround, perhaps one of the most studied at the moment. Various destinations get upgraded aircraft. Now, it is the turn of Melbourne.
Melbourne to see an upgauge to Boeing 777-300ER effective July 1, 2026
Air India is continuing to roll out better aircraft across its long-haul network, and Australia is the latest beneficiary.
The airline has announced that, effective July 1, 2026, its daily Delhi-Melbourne service will transition from the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to one of its upgraded Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which previously operated for Etihad Airways. While this aircraft swap had already been outlined in Air India’s Northern Summer 2026 deployment plans earlier this year, the airline has now confirmed that the upgrade will go live tomorrow.
For passengers, this is much more than simply getting a larger aircraft. The move introduces Air India’s best available long-haul product outside of its newest Airbus A350s and Boeing 787-9s, while also bringing First Class to the Delhi-Melbourne route for the first time.
A significant premium capacity increase
Until now, Air India has operated the Delhi-Melbourne route with its legacy Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, configured with 18 Business Class seats and 241 Economy Class seats.
The replacement Boeing 777-300ER substantially increases premium capacity. These aircraft feature eight enclosed First Class suites, 40 fully flat Business Class seats, and 280 Economy Class seats. Besides adding nearly 70 more seats overall, the aircraft more than doubles the number of Business Class seats available on every flight while introducing a First Class cabin.
Air India First Class on the ex-Etihad Boeing 777-300ER
For Melbourne-bound travellers, particularly during Australia’s busy holiday and business travel seasons, this should ease some of the premium cabin capacity constraints that have existed on the route.
Air India currently operates 4x-weekly nonstop flights between Delhi and Melbourne and is scheduled to operate 7x-weekly services on the route from September 2026. The airline’s Delhi-Melbourne service also provides travellers with convenient, same-terminal connections via Delhi to destinations across Europe, including London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris, Rome, Milan, and Zurich.
The ex-Etihad aircraft continue to find their place
These Boeing 777-300ERs have an interesting history.
Originally delivered to Etihad Airways, the aircraft joined Air India’s fleet after the Tata takeover as part of the airline’s effort to rapidly improve its long-haul product while waiting for factory-new aircraft and extensive fleet retrofits. Unlike Air India’s legacy Boeing 777s, these aircraft arrived with modern cabin interiors that required relatively little work before entering service.
Today, they are among the better products in Air India’s fleet. Passengers can expect enclosed First Class suites, direct aisle access from every Business Class seat, refreshed Economy Class cabins and onboard Wi-Fi, features that are not consistently available across Air India’s older Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 fleets.
Part of a broader fleet transformation
The Melbourne deployment is another step in Air India’s strategy of placing its better aircraft on key international routes. Over the past few years, the airline has introduced new Airbus A350s, begun inducting factory-fresh Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, started returning retrofitted Boeing 787-8s to service and strategically redeployed its upgraded Boeing 777-300ER fleet across major markets.
As part of the same deployment plan, Mumbai-London Heathrow will transition to new and retrofitted Boeing 787 aircraft, while Toronto, Bengaluru-London Heathrow and several UK destinations will also see upgraded aircraft over the coming weeks.
Bottomline
Air India’s switch from the Boeing 787-8 to the upgraded ex-Etihad Boeing 777-300ER on the Delhi-Melbourne route is a meaningful product upgrade rather than just an aircraft substitution. Travellers will benefit from substantially more premium seating, the introduction of First Class, onboard Wi-Fi and one of the airline’s strongest onboard products.
For Air India, it is another visible milestone in its fleet transformation programme as the carrier continues to deploy its best available aircraft across its international network, while newer Boeing 787-9s and retrofitted legacy aircraft gradually enter service.
What do you think of the upgrade to the service to Melbourne by Air India?
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Terrible that @Maddy and @Ajay.
I was just about to ticket myself on this route but will avoid till such time that the ex Etihad flights are in sync with the offering. Your article did save my decision to purchase.
My brother was booked on this flight yesterday in First class on 1st July but sadly, AI used the old 777 Aircraft. It was the first AI flight from Delhi to Melbourne in 777 and we booked first class suites to enjoy the experience but he hated it. Also, business class was 2-3-2 config and people were complaining about that too. Air India never fails to disappoint.
@Maddy, I heard about the old plane as well, but later in the day. Unfortunate. Trying to find out why. Let’s see.