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. |