NEW DELHI, Feb 6: The global supply chain is getting better, but the situation is tight in many areas, including engines, components and seats, Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said.
The airline, which has embarked on an ambitious transformation plan, has been facing delays in its retrofit programme for the legacy wide-body aircraft, as well as in getting new plane deliveries.
On non-availability of seats for aircraft, Air India said that these issues affect all airlines that are going through seat programmes.
“I guess it’s more painful for us because the product that we are upgrading from is a much older product, and the seats are obsolete, and the spare parts are difficult to procure or manufacture.
“So, the difference between the older product and the product we’re moving towards is very large,” he said during a media interaction on Thursday.
Wilson also stressed that Air India’s degree of upgradation is significant.
Air India is upgrading its legacy Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft. The airline had appointed an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to produce premium seats.
“We got right to the point where we had designed the product, and we were doing the final inspections of the prototypes. And that OEM told us they couldn’t any longer continue the programme because they’d just overcommitted their resources and we simply couldn’t produce.
“And so, they walked away. And so we had to go back to the drawing board and find another supplier and start the whole process again, which cost us two years,” Wilson said.
He was interacting with the media after the opening of the airline’s new lounge at the Delhi airport on Thursday.
Regarding the supply chain, Wilson said it is certainly getting better, but the situation is still tight in many areas, including engines or some other components.
“It is something that affects all airlines and affects the manufacturers as well…progressively getting better,” he said.
In October 2025, a study done by IATA in collaboration with consulting firm Oliver Wyman said supply chain challenges are estimated to cost more than USD 11 billion for the global airlines industry in 2025. (PTI)
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