Air-India chalks out Rs 50 crore facelift plan

Air-India is set for a major facelift. Experts from two leading aircraft manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing, have visited A-I and inspected its fleet.

The teams will advise the airline on refurbishing the aircraft interiors, enabling the airline to upgrade its product.

The initiative will entail an investment of Rs 30-50 crore, sources close to the development said. The move is in line with civil aviation minister Praful Patel's decision to induct airline industry professionals into A-I to help the management keep up with the latest market trend.

Confirming the development, an A-I spokesperson said: "The idea is to reposition A-I as a premium class and most preferred airline.

"The recommendations made by the Airbus and Boeing teams will enable us to refurbish the interiors of our aircraft and offer passengers a completely new product."

"We are looking at increasing our market share from 21 per cent to 30 per cent in the next three years. With a premium product, we would also be in a position to command higher fares," he added.

"The spokesperson refused to divulge details on the recommendations made by the two teams.

In the face of stiff competition from international carriers like British Airways, Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa, A-I has been losing share in its home market.

These international carriers had deployed substantial capacity on the India route around two years back. A-I was left behind due to its inadequate fleet size.

AI's aircraft upgradation programme, along with its over Rs 12,000 crore aircraft acquisition plan, is aimed at meeting the huge demand for seats on lucrative international routes like the India-US, Europe and various Gulf and South East Asian sectors which are dominated by foreign airlines.