Tata Group-owned Air India has received its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner since the airline was privatised nearly four years ago. This marks the airline’s first line-fit or custom-made Dreamliner, a plane built specifically for Air India rather than modified after production.
An official confirmed that the title transfer of the aircraft was completed at Boeing’s Everett factory in Seattle on January 7, 2026. Following inspections by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Dreamliner is expected to arrive in India in the coming days.
The aircraft features a three-class configuration with economy, premium economy, and business class seating. The last line-fit Dreamliner Air India acquired was in October 2017, when the airline was under government ownership.
This new plane is Air India’s first wide-body Dreamliner since the Tata takeover in January 2022 and represents the airline’s 52nd delivery from the 220 Boeing jets ordered in 2023. Air India Express has already received 51 narrow-body Boeing 737-8s, including its first line-fit model inducted in late December 2025.
Since the Tata acquisition, Air India has placed orders for 350 Airbus and 220 Boeing aircraft, with six Airbus A350s already added to the fleet. Additionally, Air India inherited 26 B787-8s and six B787-9s from Vistara, which merged with the airline.
Currently, the Air India Group operates over 300 aircraft, including 185 with Air India and the remainder with Air India Express. A dozen legacy Dreamliners with refreshed interiors are expected to return to service throughout 2026.
In November 2025, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson stated that the group plans to induct 26 new wide-body and narrow-body aircraft and operate 81% of its international flights with upgraded planes by the end of 2026.
