Air India is accelerating the retrofit of its legacy Boeing 787-8 fleet by adding Boeing’s maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Shanghai to its existing retrofit programme in the United States, as the Tata Group-owned airline seeks to complete the upgrades by the end of 2027.
The airline operates 26 Boeing 787-8 aircraft, of which three have already undergone a comprehensive refurbishment featuring a new livery, redesigned three-class cabin and other interior upgrades. Air India has now sent its first Dreamliner, registered VT-ANZ, to Boeing’s Shanghai MRO facility, making it the second overseas location after the US to undertake the retrofit programme.
Industry sources said the airline is also evaluating additional retrofit facilities globally, depending on slot availability, to further speed up the programme. The move comes as Air India aims to complete the refurbishment of all 26 aircraft by the end of next year.
The next Boeing 787-8, registered VT-ANS, is scheduled to undergo retrofitting at Victorville in the US. Future aircraft allocations to the Shanghai facility will depend on the outcome and turnaround time of the first aircraft currently undergoing upgrades there.
Maintenance Timelines
With two retrofit lines now operational, Air India expects to have around 10-12 Boeing 787-8 aircraft upgraded by April 2027, significantly improving the pace of the programme.
A standard retrofit takes around 30 days. However, the duration increases when heavy maintenance checks coincide with the cabin upgrade. The most recently retrofitted aircraft, VT-NAC, remained out of service for more than 90 days as it underwent multiple scheduled maintenance checks alongside the cabin refurbishment and exterior repainting. The airline is using its current reduced network operations to accelerate aircraft upgrades, sources tell FE.