The quintessential Indian middle-class traveller, who books domestic and international flights with an overwhelming need to get the holy trifecta of airline booking—price, duration, and stopovers—has been more likely to go for IndiGo, which has long dominated the domestic flight business to become India's largest in that respect, and Middle East giants like Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways.
Where does the once-illustrious, Tata-owned Air India figure in this equation? Or better yet, how does Air India plan to regain its position in the Indian airline market share charts and the respect it once commanded as a household name?
The answer perhaps lies in the airline's long-term programme to reinvent itself.
"The multi-year turnaround program will initially focus on the airline’s 27 Boeing Co. 787-8 Dreamliners that are more than 10 years old in some cases, with Air India seeking to complete a refit in early 2027. A second stage, involving older Boeing 777 widebodies, will start late next year, though that step is proving more complex because of issues with seat suppliers," Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson stated, as per a Bloomberg report.
These ambitious moves follow the airline's purchase of 10 A350 widebody and 90 single-aisle A320 Family aircraft in 2024, on top of the 40 A350 and 210 A320 Family aircraft that it had ordered in 2023, as per an Airbus announcement on December 9, 2024.
Wilson emphasized the pressing need for improving passengers' flight experience, flight punctuality, and crew service, saying that these key areas would also be improved upon, in the interest of consistency.
In a press release last month, the airline announced the return of their narrowbody aircraft, the VT-EXN (A320neo) after retrofitting.
Air India signed an MoU with Air New Zealand last month to boost air connectivity between the two nations.
“As part of the retrofit for all of the 27 A320neo that is scheduled to be completed by the third quarter of 2025, the airline will be installing over 3,500 brand-new Economy Class seats, more than 600 Premium Economy seats, and 200 Business Class seats. It has taken 450 meters of premium leather, 15,000 meters of high-quality fabric, and 4,000 meters of plush carpeting”, the release added.
The airline also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Star Alliance partner, Air New Zealand, just last month, with the objective of boosting air connectivity between the two nations.
“Customers will now be able to travel from the Indian cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai on Air India, and connect at Sydney, Melbourne or Singapore onto Air New Zealand-operated flights to Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Queenstown,” Air India announced on March 19.
Despite these grand moves, the airline continues to face stiff local competition from IndiGo, which had placed a bulk order of 30 Airbus A350-900 widebody aircraft last year.
Wilson admitted that airport red tape, supply chain issues, and pressure from competitors could not be transformed overnight and that the change was a slow, yet steady process.
