At present, the airline operates flights from Delhi to Melbourne and Sydney, with daily services to both destinations.
Tata Group-promoted Air India is planning to expand its presence in Australia with new flights either to Adelaide or Brisbane in 2026, sources told businessline.
At present, the airline operates flights from Delhi to Melbourne and Sydney, with daily services to both destinations.
Speaking to businessline, sources said the proposed service is expected to be operated using Air India’s refurbished Boeing 787 aircraft.
Notably, the timeline for such a flight depend on the return of these aircraft to service from Air India’s ongoing exercise of refitting old aircraft with new interiors.
Meanwhile, the airline is expected to receive around five new wide-body aircraft in 2026.
However, as per sources, most of the incoming Boeing 787 and Airbus A350-1000 aircraft are likely to be deployed on ultra-long-haul routes to North America and select European destinations.
When contacted Air India did not respond to businessline’s queries.
Premium product
Besides, Air India intends to introduce its upgraded premium product line-up on routes to the United States, Australia, Canada and European cities.
The airline offers premium products on flights to New York, London and Frankfurt, which are operated on Boeing 777, some Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 aircraft.
As per sources, these markets are likely to be among the first where the new aircraft are deployed.
Presently, Air India operates six upgraded Boeing 777 aircraft, six Airbus A350 aircraft and six Boeing 787-9 aircraft that were earlier operated by Vistara, and one brand-new Boeing 787-9 delivered last month.
Nevertheless, among the three major long-haul markets, Australia is expected to see new flights operated on refurbished or upgraded aircraft.
Earlier, Air India had commenced a Boeing 787 retrofit programme under its broader cabin upgrade plan.
Refreshing cabin
The retrofit work involves installing new seats across cabins, new in-flight entertainment systems, refreshing cabin interiors, and lavatories.
Currently, two Boeing 787-8 aircraft are in Victorville in the United States, where they are being retrofitted, and the first two aircraft are expected to return to service in March 2026.
Furthermore, sources said that two to three aircraft are expected to be sent for retrofit every month.
The airline has 26 legacy Boeing 787-8 aircraft, and the retrofit programme is expected to be completed by mid-2027.
Additionally, the programme includes the introduction of Wi-Fi connectivity across the Boeing 787 fleet, with timelines aligned to aircraft availability and network requirements.
Proposed services
In addition, sources indicated that the proposed Australian services may be operated from Mumbai and Bengaluru, in line with the airline’s strategy to strengthen multiple metro hubs and distribute long-haul operations beyond Delhi.
Apart from Australia, Air India is also evaluating additional long-haul opportunities, including potential new services to Johannesburg, Jakarta and higher frequencies to Tokyo as part of its medium-term network growth plans, sources added.
Published on February 23, 2026