NewsBytes
    Hindi Tamil Telugu
    More
    In the news
    Narendra Modi
    Amit Shah
    Box Office Collection
    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
    OTT releases
    Hindi Tamil Telugu
    NewsBytes
    User Placeholder

    Hi,

    Logout

    India
    Business
    World
    Politics
    Sports
    Technology
    Entertainment
    Auto
    Lifestyle
    Inspirational
    Career
    Bengaluru
    Delhi
    Mumbai

    Download Android App

    Follow us on
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    Home / News / Business News / How Air India is capitalizing on growth opportunities with seating
    Next Article
    How Air India is capitalizing on growth opportunities with seating
    Air India to double premium seats

    How Air India is capitalizing on growth opportunities with seating

    By Akash Pandey
    Jan 12, 2025
    07:09 pm

    What's the story

    Air India, which has been under the Tata Group's leadership since January 2022, has announced plans to expand its premium economy and business class seating capacity.

    The decision comes as part of a larger strategy to leverage "huge growth opportunities" in the aviation sector.

    The airline's Chief Commercial Officer, Nipun Aggarwal, confirmed that load factors for these premium segments have increased significantly due to better customer experience and flight timings.

    Growth trajectory

    Revenue growth and expansion plans

    Under Tata Group's management, Air India has witnessed a tenfold growth in revenues, hitting nearly $10 billion from less than $1 billion in FY20.

    The airline now operates 1,168 daily flights, including 313 international services.

    Aggarwal noted that the front cabin (premium economy and business class) has seen a revenue growth of nearly 2.3X while the back cabin (economy class) has grown by 1.3X.

    Seating upgrade

    Enhancing premium seating in wide-body aircraft

    Aggarwal also revealed plans to expand the premium cabin on wide-body aircraft.

    He said, "In the retrofit we are doing, we will add more premium seats...we are almost doubling the premium seats in the wide bodies...business and premium economy."

    The airline also plans to add first-class seating on its wide-body A350-1000 planes, a feature already offered on many of its Boeing 777 aircraft.

    Strategic overhaul

    Network rationalization

    By mid-2025, the airline hopes to provide 53,000 premium seats on metro-to-metro routes with new/upgraded products. Aggarwal also highlighted ongoing work in network rationalization and flight timing realignment, to optimize capacity utilization on both domestic and international routes.

    Operational efficiency

    Air India reduces overlapping routes and connecting times

    Aggarwal observed a decrease in overlapping domestic routes from 29 to 20 and international ones from 23 to six.

    He said these changes are part of an ongoing exercise depending on market dynamics.

    The average connecting time for domestic to international flights has been reduced by half, from 6.30 hours to just 3.30 hours, enhancing passenger itineraries significantly.

    Connectivity goals

    Aim to boost international connectivity

    Aggarwal revealed that Air India is eyeing markets with potential for greater international-to-international (I to I) connectivity.

    Currently, the I to I traffic is around 10% and the airline hopes to increase it to 15-20% over the next three years.

    He also shared plans for further realignment of flight timings between different global destinations, including Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, and North America.

    Facebook
    Whatsapp
    Twitter
    Linkedin
    Related News
    Latest
    Air India

    Latest

    Shubman Gill surpasses 5,000 T20 runs with 93* versus DC Gujarat Titans
    Declan Rice's goal secures Champions League spot for Arsenal: Stats Arsenal FC
    IPL 2025, Gujarat Titans hammer Delhi Capitals at Kotla: Stats Axar Patel
    Sai Sudharsan slams his 2nd IPL century: Key stats Sai Sudharsan

    Air India

    Ten Indian flights receive bomb threats in 2 days Air India Express
    IndiGo, Akasa Air receive bomb threats; prompts aviation ministry's attention  Air India Express
    Bomb threats: Hoax callers may be added to no-fly list Bangalore
    Minor detained for airline bomb threats; wanted to frame friend  Akasa Air
    Indian Premier League (IPL) Celebrity Hollywood Bollywood UEFA Champions League Tennis Football Smartphones Cryptocurrency Upcoming Movies Premier League Cricket News Latest automobiles Latest Cars Upcoming Cars Latest Bikes Upcoming Tablets
    About Us Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Contact Us Ethical Conduct Grievance Redressal News News Archive Topics Archive Download DevBytes Find Cricket Statistics
    Follow us on
    Facebook Twitter Linkedin
    All rights reserved © NewsBytes 2025