Air India receives its first line-fit Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in nearly eight years, marking a major milestone in Tata Group’s fleet expansion.
New Delhi — The first line-fit Boeing 787-9 aircraft, the first Dreamliner to be added to the airline’s fleet in almost eight years, has been delivered to Air India, owned by the Tata Group.
According to an official on Thursday, Air India successfully transferred ownership of the Dreamliner on January 7 at Boeing’s Everett facility in Seattle.
The aircraft, which is also the first line-fit Dreamliner that Air India will take after privatization in January 2022, is anticipated to arrive in India in the coming days following inspections by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The seats on the new aircraft are arranged in three classes: business, premium economy, and economy.
In October 2017, when the airline was owned by the government, Air India purchased its final line-fit Dreamliner.
In general, an aircraft designed especially for a given airline is referred to as line-fit.
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The official claims that the most recent aircraft is the airline’s first wide-body and 52nd delivery of the 220 Boeing aircraft that were bought in 2023.
51 narrow-body Boeing 737-8s have already been delivered to Air India Express, including its first line-fit aircraft, which was introduced in late December.
Air India ordered 220 Boeing and 350 Airbus aircraft when Tatas took possession in January 2022. Six A350s from the Airbus purchase have already been added to Air India’s fleet.
26 B787-8s are currently in service with Air India, along with six from the former Vistara, which was integrated with the airline.
There are currently more than 300 aircraft in the Air India Group, of which 185 are operated by Air India and the rest by Air India Express.
Twelve more vintage Dreamliners with modernized cabins are anticipated to go back into service by 2026, the official stated.