Air India's A320 Neo Retrofit Complete: 104 Aircraft Now Feature Upgraded Cabins

India’s flagship carrier, Air India, has announced the completion of a major milestone in its fleet modernisation story: the retrofit programme for all 27 legacy A320 neo aircraft has now been finished. Combined with newly delivered aircraft and those added following the merger with Vistara, the airline now operates 104 A320‑family aircraft with new or upgraded cabin interiors.

Starting in September 2024, the carrier embarked on a US$400 million transformation of its legacy narrow‑body fleet. The programme covered the retrofit of the 27 A320 neo jets, which now boast:

The carrier says the result is a consistent cabin product across its narrow‑body fleet, allowing passengers to expect the same standard of interior wherever they fly on the A320‑family jet.

For Air India, the completion signals a successful execution of a high‑stakes turnaround plan under the Tata Group. The upgraded A320 fleet allows the airline to launch smoother operations across its high‑frequency routes and to present a more competitive product. The carrier now flies over 3,024 weekly flights across 82 domestic and short‑haul international routes on the upgraded narrow‑body fleet.

The newly outfitted A320 aircraft serve some of the airline’s busiest corridors: major domestic routes such as Delhi–Mumbai, Delhi–Bengaluru, Mumbai–Hyderabad and Mumbai–Chennai, as well as short‑haul international city pairs including Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Malé, Mauritius, Riyadh and Jeddah.

This broad deployment means that more travellers can benefit from the upgraded interiors, not just on premium or long‑haul flights but also on high‑frequency domestic sectors where older cabins were previously a concern.

While the A320‑family retrofit marks the first phase, Air India isn’t stopping there. The airline plans to upgrade its other legacy aircraft as part of the multi‑year transformation roadmap:

These upgrades will aim to bring a consistent three‑class product across all long‑haul and narrow‑body aircraft, aligning Air India with global carrier standards.

The retrofit is part of Air India’s broader transformation under the Tata Group since its acquisition in early 2022. This has included fleet renewal, brand revamp, new orders for hundreds of jets and heightened service standards. The modernised A320 cabin upgrade sends a signal: Air India intends to raise its product and reliability levels across the board.