Kamal Ghorui
Air India’s operational turnaround is showing early results, with fleet reliability improving and spare parts availability rising as the airline advances its transformation plan, CEO Campbell Wilson said on Thursday.Speaking during a town hall with employees, Wilson said operational resilience remains a key focus area for the Tata Group-owned carrier and that enhanced fleet reliability is now visible across operations, PTI reported.The airline has faced persistent challenges with its legacy wide-body Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft, which had led to flight delays and cancellations. Wilson said both legacy Boeing fleets are showing improvements as reliability upgrades continue and inventories of spares and components have increased.The carrier has been undertaking replacement and upgrade of aircraft components to make operations more dependable, he added.Wilson also said more than 50 per cent of Air India’s wide-body fleet is expected to be modernised by the end of 2026, with the full wide-body modernisation programme targeted for completion by December 2028.The airline group — comprising Air India and Air India Express — is also planning significant expansion, aiming to grow its fleet from around 300 aircraft currently to more than 500 by 2030.Air India, privatised in January 2022 after returning to the Tata Group, is currently executing an ambitious transformation strategy aimed at improving operational performance and long-term growth.
