An early customer of the 787, Air India took delivery of its first Dreamliner eight years ago today. Since then, the airline has used the new generation aircraft to fly popular routes in Europe and Asia, as well as domestic hops. So, how has the 787 impacted the carrier? Has the plane been a success with the company?
Air India purchased the 787 Dreamliner as a part of a blockbuster deal with Boeing in January 2006 to buy 68 aircraft, including 23 777s (-200LRs and -300ERs) and 18 737s (which went to Air India Express). The flag carrier purchased 27 of the 787-8 variant of the Dreamliner, at a list price of nearly $4bn.
The 787 served as the replacement for the aging fleet of A310s and leased A330s and 767s. Air India exclusively purchased the -8 variant due to its earlier delivery date and since it did not need the plane for ultra-long hops to the US at the time (which the 777 or 747s serve).
Initially, Air India was to receive its first Dreamliner in late 2008, but the infamous manufacturing delays pushed this date back to 2012. The airline’s first 787 was delivered on 6th September 2012, nearly three years after the expected time. It landed in New Delhi on the 8th from Charleston, South Carolina.
The 787-8 has a seating capacity of 256 passengers, with 18 in business class (2-2-2 configruation) and 238 in economy (3-3-3 layout). Air India opted to skip first class on this airliner, a first in its widebody fleet. The smaller business class cabin of three rows, does have an older product, without direct aisle access for all passengers, but is still largely comfortable.
Air India always intended to use the aircraft on long-haul routes to Europe, Asia, and Australia. Accordingly, the 787 flies to cities such as London, Sydney, Tokyo, Singapore, Paris, and more from major Indian cities. The plane offered a vast efficiency improvement over the A310 and offered more capacity than the older jet.
The 787 also makes many domestic hops between its international services, especially if demand is high, serving short routes such as Delhi to Amritsar or Kolkata. This can be quite exciting for many who are expecting a standard A320 service and a great way to try out the product at a fraction of the usual price.
06/09/20 Pranjal Pande/Simple Flying
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Air India purchased the 787 Dreamliner as a part of a blockbuster deal with Boeing in January 2006 to buy 68 aircraft, including 23 777s (-200LRs and -300ERs) and 18 737s (which went to Air India Express). The flag carrier purchased 27 of the 787-8 variant of the Dreamliner, at a list price of nearly $4bn.
The 787 served as the replacement for the aging fleet of A310s and leased A330s and 767s. Air India exclusively purchased the -8 variant due to its earlier delivery date and since it did not need the plane for ultra-long hops to the US at the time (which the 777 or 747s serve).
Initially, Air India was to receive its first Dreamliner in late 2008, but the infamous manufacturing delays pushed this date back to 2012. The airline’s first 787 was delivered on 6th September 2012, nearly three years after the expected time. It landed in New Delhi on the 8th from Charleston, South Carolina.
The 787-8 has a seating capacity of 256 passengers, with 18 in business class (2-2-2 configruation) and 238 in economy (3-3-3 layout). Air India opted to skip first class on this airliner, a first in its widebody fleet. The smaller business class cabin of three rows, does have an older product, without direct aisle access for all passengers, but is still largely comfortable.
Air India always intended to use the aircraft on long-haul routes to Europe, Asia, and Australia. Accordingly, the 787 flies to cities such as London, Sydney, Tokyo, Singapore, Paris, and more from major Indian cities. The plane offered a vast efficiency improvement over the A310 and offered more capacity than the older jet.
The 787 also makes many domestic hops between its international services, especially if demand is high, serving short routes such as Delhi to Amritsar or Kolkata. This can be quite exciting for many who are expecting a standard A320 service and a great way to try out the product at a fraction of the usual price.
06/09/20 Pranjal Pande/Simple Flying
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