Air India's Ambitious Transformation: Soaring Towards Fleet Modernization

Air India is improving fleet reliability with increased spares and component inventory. The legacy Boeing 777s and 787s are being upgraded, focusing on operational resilience. Over 50% of the wide-body fleet will modernize by 2026, targeting 500 aircraft by 2030. This aligns with their transformation post-privatization.

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson announced significant strides in the airline's fleet reliability on Thursday, citing an increased stock of spare parts and components. The Tata Group-owned carrier has faced challenges with its older fleet of Boeing 777s and 787s, resulting in flight disruptions, but upgrades are underway.

During a town hall with employees, Wilson emphasized the focus on operational resilience and stated that enhancements have led to improved fleet reliability. The airline is actively replacing and upgrading components to ensure aircraft dependability. Inventory levels for spares and components have also seen a rise, bolstering their efforts.

The airline aims to modernize over half of its wide-body fleet by the end of 2026, with complete modernization expected by December 2028. Wilson noted that Air India, along with Air India Express, is targeting a fleet growth from 300 to over 500 aircraft by 2030, aligning with their ambitious transformation plan post-privatization in January 2022.