Good First Steps in Air India’s Transformation
On September 23, 2026, I took the red-eye from Vancouver to Toronto Pearson to stroll via a aircraft I wasn’t going to fly on. That aircraft is Air India‘s new Boeing 787-9, the plane that now flies a lot of the airline’s Toronto–Delhi schedule, and Prince of Journey had the chance to see it up shut.
That is the third time Air India has invited our staff to see one in every of its new cabins. My colleague T.J. was in Hyderabad for the A350 unveiling in January 2024, and in San Bernardino for the airline’s first retrofitted 787-8 in April 2026.
Every time, the cabin was a transparent enchancment, however neither the A350 nor the retrofitted 787-8 flies to Canada. The 787-9 is the primary to convey it right here.
After strolling all three cabins, I am blissful to report that with the 787-9, Air India’s laborious product has taken an actual step ahead, and it is now forward of the airline’s status in Canada. The design pondering does not cease on the enterprise class curtain, both.
It is a good first step. What I am not but satisfied of is the whole lot across the seat, from the service on board and the bottom expertise to the transit via Delhi, and whether or not all of it holds collectively from check-in to arrival. For now, my expectations for these are measured, although I am hopeful.
To be honest, a floor tour can solely inform you a lot. I had a brief window on a parked plane on the gate, so think about this an in depth have a look at the cabins, plus a sensible information to which flights have them.
Listed here are the important thing details at a look:
- The flights: AI 187 and AI 188, the day by day pair between Delhi and Toronto, fly the brand new 787-9. Air India says each flight between Toronto and Delhi strikes to it from January 2027.
- The cabins: 30 enterprise class suites, 28 premium economic system seats, and 238 economic system seats.
- Nonetheless pending: As of September 2026, the enterprise class doorways cannot shut but and 18 economic system seats are blocked from sale, each awaiting regulatory sign-off. There isn’t any Wi-Fi but both.
- With factors: 60,000 Aeroplan factors in economic system or 90,000 in enterprise class a technique, plus a $39 companion reserving charge. Premium economic system cannot be booked with Aeroplan.
Which Air India Toronto Flights Get the New 787-9?
If you would like the brand new cabins, ebook AI 187 or AI 188, the day by day 787-9 pair. Air India flies 20 instances every week between Canada and India over the 2026–27 winter season, and all its different flights use the 777-300ER.
The schedule breaks down like this:
| Flights | Route | Frequency | Plane | Value figuring out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI 187 / AI 188 | Delhi to Toronto / Toronto to Delhi | Day by day | New 787-9 | Enterprise, premium economic system, and economic system; usually continuous each methods |
| AI 189 / AI 190 | Delhi to Toronto / Toronto to Delhi | Thrice every week | 777-300ER (4 first, 35 enterprise, 306 economic system) | No premium economic system; Delhi to Toronto stops in Vienna; scheduled to maneuver to the 787-9 in January 2027 |
| AI 193 / AI 192 | Mumbai to Toronto / Toronto to Mumbai | Thrice every week, October 25, 2026 to March 26, 2027 | Upgraded 777-300ER | Top notch suites with doorways, enterprise, economic system, and Wi-Fi; no premium economic system |
| AI 185 / AI 186 | Delhi to Vancouver / Vancouver to Delhi | Day by day | Older 777-300ER (4 first, 35 enterprise, 306 economic system) | No premium economic system; no public timeline but for brand spanking new cabins |
The day by day 787-9 additionally usually runs continuous in each instructions, about 17 hours to Toronto and 16 again, since it will possibly skip the Vienna gas cease that Pakistan’s airspace closure has compelled on westbound flights since April 2025.
Air India says each Toronto–Delhi flight will transfer to the 787-9 from January 2027. Vancouver is a special story for now, so when you’re flying from the West Coast, maintain your expectations set to the older product.
Enterprise Class
Enterprise class has 30 Elevate Ascent suites in a 1-2-1 structure, so each seat has direct aisle entry. The specs are aggressive, with 42 inches of pitch and a completely flat mattress as much as 79 inches lengthy. There’s additionally a 17-inch 4K touchscreen with Bluetooth headphone pairing, plus wi-fi charging and USB-A and USB-C quick charging.
What stood out to me most is how a lot of India has been constructed into the suite, and the way naturally it is achieved. Each has a characteristic lamp in Air India’s jaali sample, impressed by India’s architectural heritage, and the identical motif seems within the wall laminates from the second you step on board.
The seat is upholstered in cloth the place you sit and sleep, whereas the high-touch surfaces are completed in leather-based and laminate, which must be simpler to maintain clear. Your telephone additionally will get its personal upright slot that expenses it wirelessly, a pleasant contact that offers it a correct residence.
The most important caveat is the sliding privateness doorways, which are not in use but. Air India says the characteristic is unavailable pending regulatory approval, and that each different a part of the suite works as meant. In different phrases, the doorways are there; they simply aren’t allowed to shut but.
Till approval comes via, the doorways keep mounted within the open place. Once we requested about timing, an Air India spokesperson stated the airline is “unable to touch upon the anticipated timelines for regulatory approvals.”
When T.J. noticed this seat in April 2026, he discovered the footwell a contact tight and the storage slightly restricted. Even so, I am personally an enormous fan of this suite. It is nicely thought out, and the cultural particulars are spectacular.
Premium Economic system
The 787-9 additionally brings Air India’s first premium economic system cabin to its flights between Canada and India, giving travellers a center choice between enterprise and economic system on these routes for the primary time.
There are 28 RECARO PL3530 seats in a 2-3-2 structure. Each has 38 inches of pitch, seven inches of recline, a six-way adjustable headrest, and calf and leg rests that regulate individually. You may additionally discover a 13.3-inch 4K touchscreen, USB-A and USB-C quick charging, and a bottle holder.
It is a passable product, and in keeping with as we speak’s customary for the cabin. It is a step above the earlier era of premium economic system on many legacy airways, though I might nonetheless rank the cutting-edge variations on the high five-star airways forward of it. It meets the bar quite than elevating it.
That further area nonetheless counts for lots on a flight of 16 to 17 hours. Remember the fact that you possibly can’t ebook it with Aeroplan factors, since Aeroplan’s chart has no premium economic system pricing for Air India.
Economic system
Economic system has 238 RECARO CL3710 seats in a 3-3-3 structure, with 31–32 inches of pitch, 5 inches of recline, an 11.6-inch 4K touchscreen, and USB-A and USB-C charging.
It is a suitable economic system seat, and an enchancment on what Air India has been flying on this route.
It is price noting that 18 of the 238 seats are presently blocked from sale, and bodily blocked from use, pending a regulatory certification matter. Air India says the seat itself is totally licensed and flies with airways worldwide, and that it is working with the producer and the regulator to launch them. For now, 220 economic system seats are on sale.
A Cabin Designed as One Piece
Loads of airways put all of their design effort into the entrance of the aircraft. Right here, the palette runs via each cabin, so economic system seems like a part of the identical plane. Air India styled it with JPA Design, pairing delicate lotions and pinks with reds, heat golds, and wealthy purples.
There are additionally two particulars you will not discover within the brochure. Close to the second door, a dome within the ceiling brings Air India’s branding into the cabin itself, and the temper lighting has a national-day setting that washes the cabin in India’s tricolour. The lighting system, developed with Tata Elxsi and impressed by the chakras, presents 10 scenes designed round your circadian rhythm.
This cabin was designed for Air India from the beginning, and it reveals.
Closing the Repute Hole
For a lot of Canadians, Air India’s status was fashioned on older plane, and it has lagged behind what the airline truly flies as we speak. The numbers counsel the airline has been bettering sooner than individuals’s impressions of it.
Air India says its web promoter rating has climbed from minus 35 in fiscal 2023 to plus 37 to date this fiscal yr, and June 2026 was its most punctual month on report at 91.6%.
In Could, Skytrax raised Air India from a three-star to a four-star airline. In September, it named the airline each the Finest Airline in India & South Asia and the Most Improved Airline in Asia. Air India additionally picked up regional awards for its workers, its enterprise and economic system cabins, and its catering.
Nonetheless, the brand new cabins aren’t the entire story but. About half of Air India’s widebody fleet has new or upgraded interiors as we speak, rising to round 75% by the tip of 2027, and the enterprise class doorways and blocked economic system seats on the 787-9 are nonetheless ready on regulatory sign-off, regardless that the primary of those plane entered service in February 2026.
Understandably, the tour was all in regards to the {hardware}. Air India has additionally refreshed its menus, drinks, amenity kits, and bedding since 2024. A spokesperson informed us that meals, service, and onboard facilities keep constant whether or not your flight makes use of the 787-9 or the 777-300ER.
It is clear that gifted persons are behind this refresh, and the eye to element on this plane reveals it.
For that work to indicate up on each flight, although, Air India’s management must be totally behind it too. Meaning the identical dedication to service, coaching, and the bottom and transit expertise that went into the cabin. Air India says its present section is targeted on “excellence in operations and buyer expertise,” and that is the usual I will be holding it to.
Yet another factor you will not get on the 787-9 but is Wi-Fi. An Air India spokesperson informed us connectivity “is presently not obtainable” on the brand new plane, that are wired for it however nonetheless ready on antennas due to provide points with the producer. Air India says it’s going to set up the gear on the earliest alternative.
Air India’s Guess on Canada
Canada is residence to greater than 2.5 million South Asian Canadians, in response to the 2021 census, and almost half of them dwell within the Toronto space. For a lot of of them, a visit to India is a household go to they make repeatedly, which makes the main points of the flight matter all of the extra.
Air India is aware of it. “Canada is one in every of Air India’s most essential worldwide markets, with deep people-to-people connections driving robust demand for journey, significantly throughout the festive and vacation season,” stated Nipun Aggarwal, the airline’s Chief Industrial Officer, when it introduced the Toronto–Mumbai route.
Should you’re not beginning in Toronto or Vancouver, Air India’s interline partnership with WestJet connects 17 Canadian cities. Its codeshare with Air Canada additionally hyperlinks Vancouver with Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montreal, and Halifax.
Reserving Air India’s 787-9 with Aeroplan Factors
Air India is a Star Alliance member, so you possibly can ebook it with Aeroplan factors with no gas surcharges.
Toronto–Delhi falls into the 6,001–8,000-mile band on Aeroplan’s North America to Atlantic chart. On the mounted companion chart, that is 60,000 Aeroplan factors in economic system and 90,000 Aeroplan factors in enterprise class, a technique. Anticipate Aeroplan’s $39 companion reserving charge on high.
