Air India’s Dreamliner Makeover Signals a Confident New Design Era

When Air India unveiled its new Airbus A350 interiors, it marked a clear shift in intent. The airline was no longer talking about transformation in abstract terms, but showing it through tangible design decisions. Now, with the reveal of its fully redesigned Boeing 787 interiors by JPA Design, that intent is becoming a consistent, scalable reality across the long-haul fleet.

This is JPA Design’s first complete wide-body programme for Air India, covering Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins, and it feels like a logical continuation rather than a reinvention. Where the A350 introduced a new tone and confidence, the Dreamliner builds on it, translating the airline’s refreshed brand language into a cohesive environment that can be rolled out across aircraft types and routes.

The design draws directly from Air India’s revitalised visual identity, characterised by warmth, vibrancy and a more contemporary expression of Indian hospitality. The cabin palette is rooted in a family of soft creams, muted reds, warm golds and deep purples, colours that feel unmistakably Air India yet carefully calibrated for the aerospace environment. Rather than relying on bold gestures, the palette works through balance and layering, creating a sense of quiet luxury that feels calm, premium and long-haul appropriate.

Materiality plays a central role in reinforcing that atmosphere. Tactile finishes inspired by natural textures and modern craftsmanship add depth and softness across all cabins, while refined detailing and subtle lighting cues help shape a space that feels human-centred rather than purely functional. The result is a Dreamliner interior that feels elevated and practically long-lasting.

Beyond the colour and material story, there is also something quietly strategic about the 787 as a canvas. The Dreamliner’s cabin architecture has long lent itself to atmosphere, with its larger windows, softer lighting conditions and sense of openness creating a calmer baseline experience before design even enters the conversation. Just as importantly, the platform allows for strong branded moments through the treatment of thresholds and surfaces. Entryway volumes and ceiling planes can be shaped to create a sense of arrival, offering opportunities for relief detailing and sculptural expression that feel integrated rather than applied. It is a cabin architecture that rewards thoughtful design, allowing brand to be expressed through form, texture and light.

In Business Class, Air India has selected the Elevate Ascent seat, a choice that aligns neatly with this more holistic approach. The seat has already proven its credentials with airlines such as Qatar Airways, American and Hawaiian, and its appeal lies not only in comfort and proportions, but in its adaptability. Elevate Ascent offers a robust underlying architecture while allowing significant freedom in how it is dressed and detailed.

Shell finishes, trim elements, upholstery choices and lighting accents can all be tailored, enabling designers to embed brand cues directly into the seat rather than relying on surrounding surfaces to do the heavy lifting. In Air India’s case, this means the Business Class seat feels integrated into the wider cabin narrative, reflecting the same warmth and restraint seen elsewhere rather than reading as a generic insert. It is a reminder that off-the-shelf platforms can still feel bespoke when used with intent.

JPA Design has paired that flexibility with softened geometries and tactile materials, creating a Business Class environment that prioritises comfort, clarity and longevity over visual novelty. Premium Economy and Economy follow the same philosophy. Improved stowage, updated finishes and a cohesive aesthetic flow from entryway to aisle to seat, reinforcing the idea that this is a unified design story rather than a hierarchy of disconnected cabins.

That consistency is key. Each cabin feels distinct, yet clearly part of the same family, an increasingly rare achievement in an industry where different classes are often designed in isolation. It also supports Air India’s broader ambition to create a recognisable experience across its international network, regardless of aircraft type.

Strategically, the redesigned 787 serves as the first expression of a new wide-body design standard for the airline. It reflects Air India’s wider multi-year transformation, encompassing new aircraft, service enhancements and a contemporary brand identity, and sets the blueprint for future long-haul interiors. As the airline continues to induct new aircraft and retrofit existing ones, this clarity of design language becomes as important as the hardware itself.

There is also a noticeable shift in tone. Where legacy Air India cabins often struggled to balance heritage with modernity, this new Dreamliner interior feels firmly rooted in the present. It reflects what the airline describes as the confidence and optimism of a new India, offering an experience that is globally competitive while remaining culturally grounded.

As the first Boeing 787-9s featuring the new interiors enter commercial service from February 2026, they represent more than a refreshed cabin. They signal how Air India’s transformation is moving from flagship statements to fleet-wide execution. If the A350 showed what the airline could be, the Dreamliner demonstrates how that vision can be delivered consistently, thoughtfully and at scale.

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