Summary
- Air India’s first Airbus A350 arrived in Delhi on November 23.
- The aircraft offers 28 business class suites, 24 premium economy seats, and 264 economy class seats.
- Air India has been preparing its crew and maintenance staff for the A350 and recently received regulatory clearance for its engineering line maintenance.
Air India’s first Airbus A350 aircraft recently landed at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL). The plane will soon enter commercial operations, and Air India took the opportunity to reveal the first images of its interiors, showcasing all the different cabins.
Plane arrives in Delhi
On December 23, Air India’s first Airbus A350 arrived in Delhi from the plane manufacturer’s facility in Toulouse. Registered as VT-JRA, it landed in Delhi at 13:46 local time and was assigned a special call sign AI350.
Air India’s Senior Commander, Capt. Monika Batra Vaidya was onboard the aircraft as an observer. She is among the first few Indian pilots to be trained on the A350. The carrier’s Chief Executive Officer, Campbell Wilson, was among those present at the airport, awaiting its arrival. He commented,
“As a symbol of the new age of flying, the A350 promises a world-class, long-haul travel experience on our non-stop routes, providing an unparallelled level of comfort. Its excellent flight economics and stateof-the-art technology underscore our dedication to commercially successful operations and to achieving our sustainability goals.”
Interiors revealed
Air India also gave a glimpse of what passengers can expect from the aircraft by revealing the first images of its interiors. The aircraft offers a three-class cabin configuration with 316 seats designed by Collins Aerospace: 28 private business class suites with full-flat beds, 24 premium economy seats with extra legroom and multiple other differentiating features, and 264 economy class seats.
Air India also offers the latest-generation Panasonic eX3 in-flight entertainment system and HD screens on all seats of its A350. Broken IFEs have become synonymous with Air India flights over the years, but the new owners are trying hard to resolve this issue. It’ll be interesting to see how passengers react to the A350’s interiors once the plane enters commercial service.
Fully prepared
Air India has been preparing its crew and maintenance staff in the last few months to operate the A350. Recently, India’s aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), gave the airline approval for engineering line maintenance of the type. This clearance was needed to make its transition into its fleet and subsequent operations much smoother.
Photo: Air India
Earlier this year, Air India ordered 250 new aircraft from Airbus, of which 40 were for the A350. Initially, the carrier wanted all 40 of those planes to be the A350-1000 variants. However, it agreed to get six -900 variants that were meant for Russia’s Aeroflot and were available immediately.
![First Look: Air India Reveals The Interiors Of Its Airbus A350 Aircraft 2 - Air India Air India boarding pass](https://go.traveltrade.today/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/air-india_new-brand-rollout-4-1.jpg)
Air India Rolls Out New Branding Across Digital Channels And Some Airports
The airline’s new color scheme and design can now be seen on its social media profiles and two airports.
But recently, the carrier made some tweaks to the initial order and increased the number of the -900 variant. Air India’s current order for the A350 is now split in the middle, with 20 each of the -1000 and -900.
What do you think of Air India’s A350 interiors? Please leave a comment below.