Air India showcases first retrofitted A320neo
Air India's first retrofitted A320neo, VT-EXN
Air India has received its first retrofitted narrowbody aircraft, VT-EXN (A320neo aircraft), back into operations. This marks an important milestone in the airline’s transformation journey, the March 17 press release said.
VT-EXN is the first of the 27 narrowbody aircraft inherited at the time of takeover that was elected for a complete retrofit to the new Air India standard, with updated seats, carpets, curtain, cabin ambiance, a three-class cabin configuration, a fresh coat of paint and new livery – all in the refreshed Air India branding. The retrofit also includes a wider seat pitch, along with modern features such as portable electronic device (PED) holders and USB ports.
The aircraft was sent for retrofit last year. Its retrofit is part of the US$400 million retrofit program announced by the Tata Group to upgrade the airline’s entire fleet of legacy narrowbody and widebody fleet.
VT-EXN and the remaining 26 A320neos will be operating on the domestic and short-haul international routes, alongside the 14 new A320neos that have been welcomed into the fleet recently.
As part of the retrofit for all of the 27 A320neo that is scheduled to be completed by the third quarter of this year, the airline will be installing more than 3,500 updated Economy Class seats, more than 600 Premium Economy seats and 200 Business Class seats. It has taken 450 meters of premium leather, 15,000 meters of high-quality fabric and 4,000 meters of plush carpeting, the press release said.
The refitted A320neo aircraft features eight luxurious Business Class seats, 24 extra legroom seats in Premium Economy, and 132 comfortable Economy seats.
The retrofit schedule will also see more legacy aircraft, including 40 widebody 787 and 777 aircraft undergo makeover with the first 787 scheduled to fly out for retrofit next month.
