Air India expects to induct 26 new planes in 2026, says CEO Campbell Wilson

Gurugram: Air India Group expects to induct 26 wide-body and narrow-body planes, and operate 81 per cent of its international flights with upgraded aircraft by the end of 2026, while overall capacity will remain almost unchanged next year.

"2026 will be a year of very visible change for Air India, notwithstanding the headwinds that we have faced in the last few months, whether it be AI 171 (crash) or other events, we're continuing our capital expenditure commitments...," Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said on Monday.

In his first official media briefing after the fatal Dreamliner plane crash on June 12, Wilson talked about new planes induction trajectory, aircraft retrofit efforts, upgradation initiatives, supply chain woes, plane crash, US travel demand, pilots and passenger loyalty programme.

Air India, which has one flight departure every 70 seconds on average, is set to induct its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner from its original order of 570 planes before Christmas and will be operational in January.

"2026 capacity won't change very much because whilst we receive new aircraft, we're also releasing some aircraft back to lessors, and we continue to have a lot of aircraft in the retrofit programme. So, 2026 will be comparatively flat," Wilson said at the briefing at the Air India Aviation Academy.

In 2026, the airline will have lesser number of long-haul Boeing 777 planes, as some of the leased ones are being returned, and three such aircraft owned by the airline will be retired from the fleet. Currently, Air India Group has nearly 300 aircraft -- Air India has a fleet of around 187 planes, and Air India Express has over 110 planes.

Air India now has 22 Boeing 777s and 32 Boeing 787s.

"When I say flat, I mean it's flat. The number of aircraft we go into the year with is about the same as the number of aircraft we end the year with. But they're different aircraft. Some go out, some go in... at the beginning, 2027, 2028 is when a lot of the net increase will happen," Wilson said.

According to him, changes will be much more visible with respect to the wide-body upgradation programme in 2026.

The first two of its legacy Boeing 787-8 aircraft are expected to be back in service after retrofit in February next year.

"Thereafter, we will be pushing through two to three aircraft every month, so the full Boeing 787 fleet will be upgraded by mid-2027. By the end of 2026, about two-thirds of the Boeing 787 fleet will have been upgraded...," Wilson said.

During the course of the next year, he said Air India Group would receive 6 new wide-body planes -- a mix of Boeing 787-9s and A350-1000s -- along with 20 narrow-bodied aircraft.

Of the order for 570 aircraft, 524 are to be delivered in the next few years, and the group has so far received only white tail planes or those that were originally made for another airline.

In 2026, Wilson said passengers will notice the most significant changes and that around 83 per cent of the narrow-body aircraft fleet has been upgraded, while the airline has decided to retain about 17 legacy planes instead of the earlier plan to retire them due to slow Airbus and Boeing deliveries.

Also, Vistara planes will start receiving their new liveries and Tata Group-owned Air India interior branding from this month.

Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, was merged with Air India in November 2024.

Explaining the supply chain woes, the Air India CEO said the retrofit programmes for wide-body Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 planes have been pushed back for want of premium seats.

Actually, Air India Group should have received 28 brand new aircraft by now, he said, referring to the time frame from when the total orders for 570 new planes were placed.

Responding to queries, Wilson said the US travel demand has taken a hit due to various factors, including airspace constraints, additional flying time and visa issues, but noted that "we think this is transitory".

Meanwhile, the Air India chief said that 95 per cent of the families affected by the June 12 plane crash have received interim compensation and asserted that "our commitment to those who have had a loss, whether they were on ground or in the air, will continue for as long as it takes".

A London Gatwick-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft crashed soon after take off from Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 260 people. The fatal accident snuffed out the lives of 241 passengers and crew members, and 19 people who were on the ground, while one passenger survived.

With respect to the Maharaja Club loyalty programme, passengers will soon be able to burn their points on Air India Express.