A320 Air India scaled
Air India expects the coming year to mark a major visible shift in customer experience, driven by the arrival of its first widebody aircraft from the airline’s record order book, a largely refreshed fleet, and the opening of new lounges, CEO Campbell Wilson said during a media interaction in Gurgaon on Monday.
“2026 will be the year customers notice the most significant change,” said Wilson, formerly the CEO of Singapore Airlines’ low-cost carrier Scoot.
Air India will induct six new widebody aircraft—a mix of Airbus A350-1000s and Boeing 787-9s—from its pipeline of 524 ordered aircraft. The first of these, a new Boeing 787, will join the fleet this December. At least 20 new narrowbody aircraft are also expected to arrive by the end of next calendar year.
The airline’s legacy Boeing 787-8 fleet—one of which tragically crashed in June—is undergoing a full cabin retrofit and will start returning to service from early 2026. The first two aircraft are currently in Victorville, California, where they are receiving a complete interior overhaul, new in-flight entertainment systems, and onboard Wi-Fi connectivity. These two will rejoin the fleet by February, and roughly two aircraft will follow each month, significantly improving the passenger experience, including on routes to Europe, Wilson said.
More than 50% of Air India’s widebody fleet will be modern by the end of 2026, he added.
On the narrowbody side, most of Air India’s legacy Airbus A320 aircraft have already been refreshed, with the remaining 17 scheduled for completion by 2026.
Currently, 52% of Air India’s weekly international flights operate with upgraded aircraft, a figure projected to rise to 81% by the end of 2026. On domestic routes, 80% of flights already feature the upgraded experience, rising to 96% by 2026, Wilson said.
Air India also expects to offer connectivity to 800 global destinations through 110 codeshare and interline partnerships, making it one of the widest networks available from India.
In essence, 2026 will be the year of major widebody inductions and retrofits, while 2027 is expected to unlock much broader fleet growth and network expansion as a larger portion of the remaining order book begins to arrive.
Wilson said Air India has rolled out an upgraded food menu on its international flights, with a domestic rollout to follow. Passengers can also expect a revamped premium lounge at Delhi Airport Terminal 3 this winter, along with new offerings at San Francisco and an enhanced facility at New York.
Air India currently operates a fleet of around 300 aircraft and holds roughly 27% of the Indian market. It continues to compete closely with IndiGo, which operates nearly 400 aircraft and commands about 65% of the domestic market. IndiGo has recently begun flying widebody aircraft for the first time, signaling a shift towards a more full-service international offering.
While Air India is part of Star Alliance, IndiGo continues to build international reach through selective codeshare and interline partnerships. Earlier this year, it expanded its connectivity in Europe through an interline agreement with the Air France–KLM group, which is part of the wider trans-Atlantic joint venture that also includes Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic. This coincided with IndiGo launching new flights to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, London, Manchester and other European cities.
The airline has also moved quickly in Asia, announcing a codeshare partnership plan with a Chinese carrier soon after it resumed flights to China following a five-year gap.
Campbell Wilson’s emphasis on Air India’s widebody additions, new lounges and expanding long-haul network perhaps also reflects the competitive backdrop of IndiGo’s growing international footprint. How the two airlines battle for market share in the global arena will become increasingly clear over the next year—and beyond.
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