Air India's First Retrofitted Boeing 787-8 Returns to Delhi After California Overhaul

Air India's first fully retrofitted Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, registered VT-ANT, landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on April 13, 2026. The nonstop ferry flight from San Bernardino, California, marked a concrete milestone in the airline's $400 million widebody cabin overhaul programme.

As reported by PTI, the aircraft had been at Boeing's Modification Center in Victorville, California, since July 2025, where it underwent a comprehensive nose-to-tail interior rebuild. It then moved to AeroPro, an FAA Part-145 certified facility in San Bernardino, for repainting in Air India's new livery before making the direct trans-Pacific ferry back to Delhi. The return of VT-ANT opens a 26-aircraft retrofit sequence that Air India intends to complete by July 2027. Moreover, simultaneous new deliveries of factory-fresh Boeing 787-9s and Airbus A350-1000s are in place.

Modifications the B787-8 Went Through

The retrofit was not a superficial upgrade. All 26 legacy Boeing 787-8s that remain in the post-privatisation period are being serviced as part of the Vihaan AI programme. As reported by Aerospace Global, under it, every airplane will have all-new seating in all three cabin sections- Business, Premium Economy, and Economy, with new inflight entertainment, new interior design and lighting, and the current livery of the airline.

The new layout will be compatible with the interior standard of the line-fit Boeing 787-9s under Air India delivery that are also being delivered at the same time. The old fleet of Boeing 787-8 has been totally remodelled into a new three-class set-up, the old aircraft being criticized as having ageing interiors and ineffective in-flight entertainment systems. In June 2025, Air India lost one of its 787-8s in a crash in Ahmedabad, leaving 26 active retrofit aircraft.

The Scale and the Programme Timeline

The retrofit of 26 aircraft is estimated to cost $400 million, with the first two aircraft sent to California in 2025. As reported by Aerospace Global News, Air India's Chief Commercial Officer Nipun Aggarwal confirmed the pace:

Air India anticipates that almost 60 per cent of its wide-body fleet will be fitted with modern interiors by the end of 2026. In the same year, the airline anticipates three new-line fit 787-9s and two Airbus A350-1000 deliveries, which will provide it with additional new-cabin capacity on its high-yield international routes.

The Fleet Math and What It Means for Passengers

Air India has a total firm order book of 570 aircraft, of which more than 520 are yet to be delivered, the largest aircraft order made in Indian history.

Since July 1, 2026, Air India has announced that the route between Mumbai and London Heathrow will move to new 787-9s and retrofitted 787-8s, all with new cabin interiors and eight first-class suites. 40 fully flat business class beds and 280 economy seats will be added to the route, almost adding 4,000 seats each month. The Bengaluru-Heathrow service will also be retrofitted with 787-8 aircraft, the first route with Premium Economy. The entry of VT-ANT is thus not an aircraft phenomenon itself - it is the establishment of a delivery pipeline that is going to gradually reshape the cabin experience, which is Air India's most visible weakness in premium international markets.