Air India receives its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner since Tata takeover

More than two years after its return to private ownership, Air India has inducted its first new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, signalling steady progress in the Tata Group’s plans to transform the airline’s international operations.

The aircraft was handed over to Air India at Boeing’s Everett facility in Seattle on January 7. It is the first “line-fit” Dreamliner built specifically for the airline following its acquisition by the Tata Group in January 2022. Line-fit aircraft are manufactured with airline-specific cabin layouts and configurations installed during production.

After undergoing mandatory inspections by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the aircraft is expected to be ferried to India in the coming days, the official said.

The delivery is noteworthy, as it represents Air India’s first induction of a new wide-body aircraft under private ownership and forms part of the large aircraft order placed by the airline in 2023. 

The Dreamliner is the 52nd aircraft delivered from Air India’s order of 220 jets from Boeing.

The Boeing 787-9 features a three-class cabin configuration, comprising business class, premium economy and economy seating. Air India last received a line-fit Dreamliner in October 2017, when the carrier was still under government ownership.

Meanwhile, Air India Express, the group’s low-cost arm, has already inducted 51 Boeing 737-8 narrow-body aircraft, including its first line-fit aircraft, which joined the fleet in late December.

Since the Tata takeover, Air India has placed orders for 350 Airbus aircraft and 220 Boeing aircraft. Of the Airbus order, six A350 wide-body aircraft are already in service. The airline also operates 26 Boeing 787-8 aircraft and six Boeing 787-9 aircraft inherited from the former Vistara, which has since been merged with Air India.

At the group level, Air India currently operates a fleet of more than 300 aircraft, with 185 operated by Air India and the remainder by Air India Express. The official said around a dozen older Dreamliners undergoing cabin refurbishment are expected to return to active service by 2026.

In November last year, Air India’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Campbell Wilson, said the Air India Group plans to induct 26 additional wide-body and narrow-body aircraft and aims to operate 81 per cent of its international flights using upgraded aircraft by the end of 2026.