MUMBAI: Air India travelers asking why even following eleven months of being in Goodbye hands its airplane keep on wearing that run-out look would be feeling better to discover that the carrier has begun renovating its heritage wide-body armada containing 27 Boeing 787-8 and 13 B777 airplane, committing more than $400m for the venture. However, the amount of time required to complete the task would surprise the passengers. The airline stated on Thursday that the first refurbished aircraft will not enter service until mid-2024.
In the airline industry, the enormous and time-consuming task of aircraft refurbishment falls into the category of things that money cannot buy. A project to restore an aircraft cannot be warped by money. An industry source, who requested anonymity, stated, "The airline should ensure that the new installations are light weight and comply with the safety requirements laid down by the multiple aviation regulators concerned." On the one hand, the challenge is to design the cabin, which includes seats, tables, armrests, seat belts, and other items. In the event of an accident, a passenger should be able to exit the aircraft safely and without injury as the foundation of safety,” he continued. The entire aircraft cabin must be disassembled and rebuilt sequentially, like a jigsaw puzzle, with every last detail in place, which can take months to plan.
Consider the seat in front of the driver. The use of materials that prevent fire is required by regulations. The seats ought to be lightweight to keep the aircraft light. However, in the event of a collision, they should also be sturdy and secure enough to remain in place without breaking apart or deforming to prevent passengers from exiting the vehicle. A dynamic force of 16G is anticipated to be withstandable by the seat. Additionally, there are numerous small and large spare parts involved because each seat has bundles of wires for in-flight entertainment, phone charging, and emergency lights.
The main issue, though, is that aircraft equipment like seats are expensive and only made by a few approved manufacturers around the world because of the strict safety standards and low production volumes. Various vendors' supply schedules would need to be coordinated. Additionally, "an airline cannot simply switch to equipment of any other manufacturer unless the required design approvals are in place" if a particular manufacturer has shut down and spare parts related to the equipment supplied by him are no longer available, according to an industry source. An STC (Standard Type Certification) must be obtained from the multiple regulatory authorities involved, such as the US-FAA, Indian-DGCA, etc., if such approvals are not in place. This process could take months because the regulators may need to conduct extensive research or tests to ensure safety and security.
Even the installation requires extensive wiring and layout modifications, resulting in lengthy implementation times. The power consumption requirements in various areas of the aircraft cabin may change as a result of new gadgets and in-flight entertainment, necessitating more thorough planning, he stated. On the other hand, coordinating schedules to keep the aircraft grounded is a difficult task. An aircraft would need to be grounded for at least a month in order to undergo such extensive maintenance. That on its own is a significant obstacle,” he stated.