Air India welcomes first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner after Tata Group’s takeover. Check details
Tata Group-owned Air India has taken delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 aircraft after the airline was privatized nearly four years ago, PTI reported.
This is also the airline’s first production or custom Dreamliner. Typically, line conformance describes an aircraft produced specifically for a particular airline.
The news portal quoted an official as saying that Air India completed the transfer of the Dreamliner to Boeing’s Everett factory in Seattle on January 7.
Following inspections by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the aircraft, which is the first Dreamliner aircraft purchased by Air India following the takeover of the Tata group in January 2022, is expected to arrive in India in the coming days.
The new aircraft has a three-class layout: economy, premium economy and business class seats.
The last Dreamliner aircraft purchased by Air India was in October 2017, when the airline was still under state ownership.
The new aircraft is the airline’s first wide-body aircraft and the 52nd overall delivery of 220 Boeing jets ordered in 2023, the official told the news portal.
Air India Express has already taken delivery of 51 narrow-body Boeing 737-8 aircraft, including its first airliner, which was inducted at the end of December.
Orders after Tata acquisition
Following the Tata acquisition in January 2022, Air India ordered 350 Airbus and 220 Boeing aircraft. 6 A350s from Airbus order were added to Air India fleet.
Air India currently operates 26 B787-8 and 6 B787-9 operated by Vistara, which was earlier merged with the airline.
Air India Group currently operates more than 300 aircraft, of which 185 belong to Air India and the rest to Air India Express.
The official also noted that a dozen older Dreamliners with refurbished interiors are expected to return to service by 2026.
Last November, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson stated that the Air India Group plans to add 26 wide-body and narrow-body aircraft by the end of 2026, with 81% of its international flights to be operated by upgraded aircraft.
