Air India CEO Addresses Seat Shortage and Aircraft Delays
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson has highlighted a significant supply chain challenge for the airline: a shortage of aircraft seats. During a recent interview with Bloomberg TV, Wilson revealed that seat manufacturers are struggling to meet the demand due to delays in the design, certification, and production of seats. This issue is particularly impacting the airline’s ongoing refurbishment program, which involves updating approximately 100 aircraft.
Wilson noted that delays for both first and business class seats in Air India’s major retrofit programs have ranged from six to twelve months, causing frustration for the airline. “It’s very frustrating,” Wilson said, emphasizing the difficulties the airline has faced as it works to modernize its fleet. The airline’s refurbishment efforts are part of its broader push to enhance its services following the merger with Vistara and Air India Express.
As part of its strategic plan, Air India has already begun refurbishing its narrowbody aircraft, with about a third of the fleet re-fitted. Wilson indicated that this process is expected to be completed by mid-2025. Additionally, in early 2025, Air India will begin refurbishing 40 widebody aircraft, a project expected to take around two years to finish. “The big work yet to be done is rehabilitating the older aircraft we inherited,” Wilson explained, referring to the airline’s legacy fleet.
While seat supply issues are a major hurdle, aircraft delivery delays have also impacted Air India. These delays, Wilson stated, are largely beyond the airline’s control. Despite these challenges, Air India is exploring ways to mitigate the impact. The airline is looking to lease around 40 aircraft and take advantage of newly manufactured aircraft that have not yet been acquired. However, Wilson pointed out that the supply of aircraft is limited, particularly given the slowdown in Boeing’s production, which has further affected delivery timelines.
Air India’s current fleet includes a mix of narrowbody and widebody aircraft, with models like the A319-100, A320-200, A321-200NX, and several Boeing models including the 777 and 787. In addition, the airline has 274 aircraft on order, including a large number of A320-200Ns, A321-200NX, and A350 aircraft. These future deliveries are critical to the airline’s expansion and service improvements.
Wilson also addressed Air India’s need for more long-haul aircraft, stating that the lack of capital in the past led to insufficient capacity, particularly for international routes. When Air India was privatized two years ago, the country had only 43 widebody aircraft in service. Since then, the airline has made a significant order for nearly 500 new aircraft, a move aimed at increasing capacity and improving connectivity to key global destinations such as North America, Europe, and Australasia. Despite the delivery delays, Wilson emphasized that Air India is working to rectify the long-haul connectivity gap and enhance its global network.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com