Tata Group promoted Air India’s $400 million aircraft retrofit programme will be completed by 2029, a senior airline official said on Saturday.

Accordingly, the official was speaking at an event to showcase the airline’s first retrofitted Boeing 787-8 (VT-ANT) which had undergone a comprehensive upgrade in the US.

The aircraft is the first of 26 Boeing 787 planes undergoing a full cabin refresh programme.

Besides, the official said that two retrofitted Boeing 787 aircraft set to rejoin the fleet in the coming months.

The retrofit was carried out at Boeing’s Modification Center in Victorville, California, followed by repainting at a Federal Aviation Administration-certified facility in San Bernardino.

The upgrade converts the aircraft from a two-class configuration to a three-class layout, aligning it with Air India’s latest widebody standards introduced with its Boeing 787-9 aircraft inducted earlier in 2026.

As per the airline, the first aircraft required about 12,825 manhours over 45 days, involving removal of legacy interiors and installation of new seating, inflight entertainment systems, carpets, wall laminates, and upgrades to galleys and lavatories.

Furthermore, the refurbishment involved 475 metres of fabric, 167 metres of synthetic leather, 169 metres of carpet, and 646 litres of paint.

Additionally, the aircraft exterior repainting was completed by a 20-member team over 18 days, accounting for more than 5,700 manhours.

Meanwhile, Air India said that all cabins are equipped with Thales AVANT Up inflight entertainment systems, along with updated cabin materials, lighting, and crew interface systems.

Apart from this, the airline also plans to refurbish 13 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft under its broader fleet modernisation strategy.

Published on April 19, 2026