Indian airline Maharaja is preparing for a major product change in 2026 as modernization efforts intensify.
Campbell Wilson, CEO of Air India, said 2026 would mark the “most significant change” in the airline’s customer experience, as the carrier progresses its multi-year fleet modernization and modernization program while dealing with current supply chain constraints.
Speaking to a group of journalists in Delhi at Air India’s training academy in Gurgaon, Wilson said 524 planes out of Air India’s order of 570 remained to be delivered. Currently, 82 per cent or 104 aircraft of Air India’s narrow-body fleet have been modernized, including over 150 at the group level.
Seventeen older A321s and A320ceos, originally earmarked for retirement, have been retained due to slower-than-expected deliveries from Airbus and Boeing. “They have very little resale value, so we will renovate them as well. We have to buy the seats, which will happen in 2026,” he said. The initial narrowbody fairing phase is complete.
Across the group, significant widebody upgrades are also underway. The modernization work of 50 B737-8 aircraft of Air India Express will be completed by mid-2026. The first two refurbished B787-8s will return from Victorville, California, in early 2026, and all 26 existing Dreamliners will be upgraded by mid-2027. Air India’s first B787-9 is expected to arrive by the end of 2025.
By the end of 2026, the airline plans to deliver six new wide-body aircraft: A350-1000 and B787-9, and at least 20 new narrower fuselages. “Our wide-body aircraft with modern interiors will double to 36 by the end of 2026. This means 57% of our wide-body fleet will be equipped with the new product, almost double today,” Wilson said.
New international food and beverage menus will soon be introduced, and upcoming new and upgraded aircraft will offer upgraded cabins, Wi-Fi and BYOD entertainment. A new international lounge at Delhi Airport’s Terminal 3 will open in December, followed by a new domestic lounge in the second half of 2026.
Operationally, Wilson highlighted growing training and maintenance capabilities. The airline recently inaugurated a simulation facility with Airbus which will eventually house more than 20 simulators. A flight school in Amravati with 34 training aircraft remains on track for a 2026 start-up, while the first phase of an MRO facility in Bangalore will also become operational next year.
Wilson confirmed that 95 per cent of families affected by the AI 171 tragedy have received interim compensation, with 70 families having secured ex-gratia payments from the AI 171 Trust and a further 50 currently being processed.
He acknowledged that bookings fell immediately after the tragedy, but said demand had since recovered. “We have operated a well-operated one lakh flight since June, transported around 50 million people, and the volumes have returned.”
Air India’s on-time performance, he noted, improved by 10 percentage points compared to last year. The airline operates departures “every 70 seconds on average across the world”.
Wilson said Air India temporarily cut 15% of its wide-body network after the IA 171 tragedy, but restored most routes in October, except for some like Washington DC and Nairobi for economic reasons. Regarding US-bound sectors, he cited airspace restrictions, refueling requirements, longer flight times and payload constraints as factors dampening demand, as well as visa delays. “These are transitory. We remain confident in the long-term opportunities,” he added.
Even though Air India is expected to receive new planes through 2026, Wilson said overall capacity will not change significantly next year as some planes will be returned to lessors and others will enter the modernization pipeline. “The entire industry is facing supply chain challenges,” he said.
The carrier now has more than 100 interline partners and more than 20 codeshare agreements, up from zero at the time of privatization. Wilson also confirmed that soon, passengers will be able to redeem Maharaja miles on Air India Express.
