Air India partners with Singapore Airlines on industry best practices: CEO Wilson

New Delhi: Air India is stepping up efforts to improve fleet reliability, with plans that include retrofitting older aircraft and adopting global best practices in collaboration with Singapore Airlines, CEO Campbell Wilson told employees on Friday.

The Tata Group-owned carrier has faced heightened regulatory oversight following the June 12 crash of a Boeing 787-8. In response, the airline is working to strengthen safety and stabilize operations.

All 27 legacy Airbus A320neo aircraft are set to be retrofitted by September 2025. Wilson said the focus is on enhancing the reliability of the airline’s Airbus A320 family, Boeing 787s, and 777s. Singapore Airlines, which owns a 25.1% stake in Air India, is working closely with the carrier on engineering, operations, and other improvement areas.

Air India has also identified supply chain and spare parts bottlenecks and is collaborating with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to address them.

Wilson noted that the airline’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) dipped in mid-June due to airspace closures over Iran, added safety checks, and the impact of the AI171 accident, but recovered to 35 in July from 18 in June.

Air India’s fleet of 190 aircraft includes 33 Dreamliners—26 Boeing 787-8s and 7 Boeing 787-9s. The retrofit of all legacy Dreamliners is expected to be completed by mid-2027. The first upgraded 787-8 is due back in December, after which two aircraft per month will undergo refurbishment. The updated three-class layout will feature 20 Business Class, 25 Premium Economy, and 205 Economy seats, replacing the current 18 Business and 238 Economy configuration.

The airline has also begun a heavy refresh of its legacy Boeing 777s, including installing new carpets, seat covers, cushions, and repairing damaged seats.