Air India's Boeing 787-8 lands at Delhi IGI Airport after refurbishment in California

Mumbai: The first refurbished wide-body Boeing 787-8 aircraft of Air India landed at Delhi Airport on Monday, more than three years after the Tata Group-owned airline announced a $400-million investment plan to carry out a comprehensive refit of its legacy twin-aisle fleet.

The aircraft, VT-ANT, operated a non-stop ferry flight from San Bernardino in the United States, flying over the Pacific, and landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi at 10 pm, the airline said.

San Bernardino International Airport in California acts as a major hub for maintenance, painting and storage of Boeing aircraft.

Air India on Monday welcomed its first retrofitted, twin-aisle B787-8 (registered VT-ANT), marking the successful completion of a nose-tail cabin refresh of the first of 26 B787 aircraft, the airline said.

Loss-making private carrier Air India's legacy widebody fleet comprises Boeing 787-8s and B-777s. These aircraft operate on several long-haul destinations across the UK, Europe, the USA and the Far East.

The aircraft, which received comprehensive interior upgrades at Boeing's modification centre in Victorville, California, was subsequently painted in Air India's striking new livery at AeroPro, an FAA Part-145 certified aircraft paint facility in California, the airline said.

Following the requisite regulatory certifications and clearances, the aircraft operated a non-stop ferry flight from San Bernardino to Delhi, it stated.

Air India, which became private in January 2022 after the Tata Group took back ownership of the airline from the Union Government, announced in December that year plans to refurbish its entire legacy wide-body fleet, comprising 27 Boeing B787-8 (Dreamliner) and 13 B777 aircraft, at an investment of over $400 million.

This refurbishment included a complete overhaul of the existing cabin interiors, with the addition of the latest-generation seats and in-flight entertainment across all classes.

In addition, the refurbishment also included the introduction of a premium economy cabin on both fleets. The first such refurbished aircraft was to enter service.

However, supply chain issues and geopolitical situations delayed the project commencement only in July last year, when the first of the 26 Boeing 787-8s flew to Victorville facility for retrofit.

Air India lost one of its Boeing 787-8s in a crash in Ahmedabad in June last year, reducing the fleet to 26 planes.