Air India is currently undergoing a transformation following privatization. The company is making significant investments in modernizing its fleet and improving the passenger experience. This includes ordering 470 new aircraft, introducing new cabins, refurbishing existing aircraft and a complete rebrand, including the unveiling of new uniforms.
Air India has revealed details about how it will revamp its premium international software product. Specifically, the airline is showing off new amenity kits, bedding, tableware, and in-flight entertainment. The plan is to introduce it on medium- and long-haul international flights from mid-2024, coinciding with the start of international service for the airline's new Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
Let's look at some details. As you can see, the airline is leaning heavily into its Indian roots with all these updates and is also sticking to its new brand colors.
Air India's new Ferragamo amenity kit
Air India has partnered with Italian luxury fashion brand Ferragamo to develop new amenity kits for first and business class passengers.
Each amenity kit features a unique motif celebrating India's diverse print styles and includes Ferragamo body lotion, hand cream, lip balm, socks, an eye mask, and specially designed Air India memorabilia. included. The first class kit also includes a fragrance. Air India is the first airline in the world to introduce Ferragamo's new brand identity amenity kit.
First and business class passengers will continue to receive Tumi sleepwear, and premium economy class passengers will continue to receive a Tumi amenity kit. This all unfolded in his 2023 and nothing has changed.
New Air India First and Business Class Ferragamo Amenity Kits
Air India's new bedding
Air India is introducing new bedding, but there is no brand tie-up here. Instead, the company says it is offering specially designed bedding inspired by its new global brand identity.
This includes sustainable and lightweight duvets, memory foam mattress toppers, and wool blankets. Air India becomes the only airline in the world to offer wool-blend blankets, saying, “The jacquard borders and motifs are inspired by the traditional Sozni embroidery of Jammu and Kashmir, a Union Territory of India.'' “It is a thing.”
New Air India First Class and Business Class Bedding
New Air India Premium Economy Bedding
Air India's new tableware
Air India is rolling out new ceramics, glassware and cutlery.
The ceramics will combine lightweight, durable materials with subtle brand elements such as mandalas and Indian-inspired designs. Also available is a tiffin box-shaped salt and pepper shaker with a gold finish. I have to imagine a lot of passengers will swipe these, like Virgin Atlantic did. 😉 First class passengers will also receive a copper and gold thalis for Indian cuisine.
The cutlery is made of stainless steel and features a lightweight hollow handle. I also love the coffee and tea setup that Air India has in place, especially the evolved Maharaja brand.
new air india business class tableware
new air india business class tableware
new air india business class tableware
New Air India First Class and Business Class Tableware
New Air India First Class and Business Class Tableware
New Air India First Class and Business Class Tableware
New Air India Premium Economy Tableware
Air India's new Panasonic Entertainment
Air India is investing in new in-flight entertainment with the introduction of Panasonic's eX3 IFE system. The problem is that this will not be introduced on all long-haul aircraft as of mid-2024. Instead, over time, it will be available on the A350-900, 777-200LR, and all newly delivered and reconfigured jets.
Air India promises that its new entertainment system will offer an incredible 2,200 hours of entertainment across formats and genres, including 1,000 hours of movies, 600 hours of TV shows and 600 hours of audio.
This collection includes over 250 Indian movies (the largest library of Indian content in the sky), 200 Hollywood movies, 900 TV shows, and more.
For geeks like us who love to monitor the progress of our flights, Air India is debuting Arc, Panasonic's immersive in-flight map experience. This includes highly customizable maps that allow you to explore the world.
To enhance in-flight entertainment, Air India will also introduce new headsets in all cabins. This includes noise-canceling headphones in the premium cabin and reusable earbuds in the economy cabin.
New Air India in-flight entertainment system
conclusion
Air India unveiled new international premium cabin soft products including new amenity kits, bedding, tableware and in-flight entertainment. It is of course a long process for Air India to reinvent itself, but I have to admit that I am incredibly impressed with the progress. These new amenities look great and look luxurious while still having a distinctly Indian feel. The new in-flight entertainment also seems top-notch.
When plans to reinvent Air India were first announced, I was skeptical. There's still a lot of work to do, but so far everything I've seen has exceeded my expectations and I'm impressed with the direction of the company. Good luck Air India. I can't wait to fly his Air India A350 on a long-haul flight once this is introduced.
What do you think about Air India's new amenities?