MUMBAI : An airline official said on Thursday that Air India completed the title transfer of the aircraft at Boeing’s Everett factory in Seattle on January 7. After mandatory inspections by India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Dreamliner is expected to arrive in India in the coming days.

The newly delivered aircraft features a three-class configuration, offering economy, premium economy and business class seating. It is the first line-fit Dreamliner to be inducted by Air India since October 2017, when the carrier was under government ownership. Line-fit aircraft are built to an airline’s specific configuration directly at the factory.

The delivery is also significant as it becomes Air India’s first wide-body aircraft delivery and the 52nd overall aircraft received from the 220 Boeing jets ordered by the airline in 2023. Within the group, Air India Express has already inducted 51 narrow-body Boeing 737-8 aircraft, including its first line-fit plane in late December.

Following the takeover by the Tata Group in January 2022, Air India placed landmark orders for 350 Airbus and 220 Boeing aircraft. Of the Airbus order, six Airbus A350 jets have already joined the fleet.

Air India currently operates 26 Boeing 787-8 aircraft and six 787-9s that were earlier part of Vistara, which has since been merged with the airline. Overall, the Air India Group now has a fleet of over 300 aircraft, with around 185 planes under Air India and the remainder operated by Air India Express.

According to the official, a dozen more legacy Dreamliners with refreshed interiors are expected to return to service through 2026.