Air India has inducted its first retrofitted narrowbody aircraft back into operation. The aircraft – VT-EXN (A320neo) is the first of the 27 narrowbody aircraft inherited at the time of the takeover that was elected for a complete retrofit.
The aircraft now has new seats, carpets, curtains, cabin ambience, and a three-class cabin configuration, along with a fresh coat of paint, and new livery – all in the new Air India branding.
VT-EXN was sent for retrofit last year. Its retrofit is part of the $400 million retrofit programme announced by the Tata group to upgrade the airline’s entire fleet of legacy narrowbody and widebody fleet.
VT-EXN and the remaining 26 A320neos will be operating on the domestic and short-haul international, alongside the 14 new A320neos that have been welcomed into the fleet recently, offer modern amenities in three class cabin configuration – ensuring a uniform upgraded experience for passengers.
As part of the retrofit for all of the 27 A320neo that is scheduled to be completed by the third quarter of 2025, the airline will be installing over 3,500 brand-new Economy Class seats, more than 600 Premium Economy seats, and 200 Business Class seats.
It has taken 450 meters of premium leather, 15,000 meters of high-quality fabric, and 4,000 meters of plush carpeting.
All the refitted A320neo aircraft features eight luxurious Business seats, 24 extra legroom seats in Premium Economy, and 132 comfortable Economy seats. The retrofit includes soothing interior ambience, spacious legroom, and wider seat pitch, along with modern features such as portable electronic device (PED) holders and USB ports. New carpets, curtains, upholstery, and cabin panels with fresh design motifs will reinforce the brand livery.
The retrofit schedule will also see more legacy aircraft, including 40 widebody B787 and B777 aircraft undergo makeover with the first B787 flying out for retrofit next month.
