Tata Group-owned Air India will spruce up its long-haul product further when pending deliveries of its flagship offering, the A350, is pressed into service, as it aims to tighten its stranglehold on the international market amid rising competition.
The 34 new Airbus (A350-1000) widebody planes, which are scheduled to join Air India’s fleet from 2026 onwards, will sport distinct, tailor-made interiors.
The six A350s (A350-900) that Air India inducted over the past few months were originally built for Russia’s flag carrier Aeroflot. Following sanctions on the eastern European country, these were rerouted to Air India. “The new A350s will start arriving from 2026. Those on pending delivery will have a different end product,” Rajesh Dogra, chief customer experience officer, Air India, said.
“We have them coming in different sets. We will have them coming in 2026, 2027, and 2028,” he added at a recent media interaction.
This comes at a time when IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, is preparing a transition from a low-cost carrier to a hybrid one by also offering business class cabins, specifically to tap international traffic. It has also placed orders for A350s, with deliveries slated for 2027.
“With the A350 launch (on the Delhi to London, Heathrow route), the overall perception (about Air India) has seen a massive boost. There has been an uptick in the business class occupancies. We have been talking about transformation and we took several initiatives, worked on so many new things, and people acknowledged the change,” Dogra added.
Air India says daily bookings in premium classes have more than doubled on the A350. The airline is also keen on having first class in its legacy aircraft, but due to supply chain challenges with the seat manufacturers, the plan is progressing slowly.
“From November, Air India’s A350 will service New York, John F. Kennedy International Airport from Delhi. By February-March 2025, Air India will roll out its soft products like food and beverage, blankets and pillows on its entire global route by March, Dogra said.”
Besides new aircraft, Air India is investing in setting up new exclusive lounges across its key markets, both in India and overseas, to upgrade the on-the-ground experience for its customers. While some lounges are operational at Delhi and New York airports, more are scheduled to open in San Francisco (by 2025), Dubai, and London. An exclusive lounge for international passengers is planned at the Mumbai airport as well.
“Cost will not be a constraint as we will not compromise on quality. From the design perspective, we have looked at multiple lounges worldwide,” Dogra added.
Air India is awaiting regulatory clearance to start offering Wi-Fi onboard the A350, as all the groundwork with its partner has been completed. Dogra added that the wireless networking technology can go live on the aircraft within 15 days of receipt of approval from the regulator.
