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Air India Sets Summer 2026 Long-Haul Plan With New Cabins, More Capacity

The rollout advances Vihaan.AI, combining a 26‑aircraft 787‑8 retrofit with scheduled 2026 deliveries of 787‑9s plus A350‑1000s.

Overview

  • DelhiTokyo (Haneda) switched to 787‑9 service on February 14 with a three‑class layout that adds Premium Economy and roughly 2,408 seats per month.
  • From March 1, Delhi–Toronto rises from 7x to 10x weekly, and from March 29 DelhiSeoul goes 5x to 6x weekly and DelhiShanghai 4x to 5x weekly, adding about 2,048 monthly seats on each of the latter two routes.
  • From July 1, MumbaiHeathrow moves from 777‑300ERs to a mix of incoming 787‑9s and retrofitted 787‑8s, all with new interiors.
  • From July 1, Delhi–Melbourne will use an upgraded 777‑300ER that introduces First Class (8 suites) alongside 40 business beds and 280 economy seats, adding nearly 4,000 monthly seats.
  • From August 1, BengaluruHeathrow shifts to retrofitted 787‑8s introducing Premium Economy, seven weekly Delhi–Toronto flights move to new 787‑9s, and Air India projects over half of North America services will feature new or upgraded cabins; the first two retrofitted 787‑8s are due back in service in the coming weeks.