Forget what you've heard, the new Air India is ready to take over the world

There were not many planes to visit this year at Farnborough, But among those present two were certainly among the most interesting to appear recently in the skies.

I am talking about Virgin Atlantic's A330/900neo and Air India's A350/900. The first one has been flying, almost, for two years. The second one, on the other hand, recently arrived e after a test period on domestic routes began flying to Dubai and will soon debut at London Heathrow before stretching to New York.

Why this A350/900 from Air India is special

India's national airline has always had an unflattering name, dated aircraft, questionable service, and onboard experience not commensurate with the size of the Indian nation.

However, things are set to change. The Tata Group, the country's largest industrial conglomerate, has taken control of the company, ordered hundreds of planes, and revamped its image entirely.

It started with the livery, then with the interior, and now the makeover is complete since a few weeks ago the new, all-new in-flight service has also been flying: from the ceramics to the amenity kits, from the  blankets to the trays. Everything is new.

The revolution begins with this very A350, the plane that will become Air India's flagship in the next decade along with the other planes ordered in recent months. Over 500 of them.

New livery, new colors, new Air India logo

No more Maharaja drawn on the outside windows, goodbye to the old livery that generated so many "bad" memories in the minds of frequent flyers and welcome new image, fresher and more modern.

The only place I could not go is under the belly of this A350, where the company has its name written giant, like Emirates and a few other carriers.

Air India's A350 is spectacular

There's no getting around it so much, if the company can keep the rudder steady, ensure that after words are followed by deeds, then this company will surely be a candidate to challenge the Gulf carriers, who became big by carrying millions of Indians and taking advantage of the weakness of the Indian company.

This A350 has the new seats that bring Air India to compete with the major carriers, indeed we are at even higher levels than many competitors.

Air India's new business class

The revolution begins with the A350s, currently received 4, more planes will arrive in the coming months. A revamp of the interior will also begin at some point, but it will be years before this cabin is on the entire fleet. Unfortunately, it will not come on the 787s, which are the planes flying in Italy at the moment.

Business class is, finally, 1-2-1.

All passengers have a private suite, with a door and a wall that is very high, almost at the level of the QSuite, but more protective than all other carriers that offer this option.

Each passenger has a personal locker, a second storage space and plenty of leg room.

Also completely revamped is everything else about the experience on board and for all passengers.  New china, cutlery, glasses and trays.

New amenity kits, the small souvenir bags have the special feature of being delivered inside a protective reusable bag, as is the case with luxury handbags.

Also new are the linens on board: pajamas, comforter and a spectacular wool blanket. Truly an above-average product.

Air India's new premium economy

The small PE booth, only 18 seats, has some flaws, but it is top of the line.

It reclines and has very generous leg support, passengers are given a small amenity kit, and above all, the lunch tray is very elegant.

Beginning with the choice of having a semi-transparent plastic, it is covered with a special adhesive rubber that locks the elements placed on the tray and prevents turbulence or clumsy movements from causing glasses and dishes to fall.

The classic economy, but beautiful and affordable

Two bathrooms on board this A350 are accessible and are in the center of the plane, so they can be used easily by all passengers.

Obviously, each seat is equipped with a 4k screen with a proposition, according to the flight attendants, never seen before on an Air India plane, content that will also vary according to the destination of the plane to make it more usable for coentengers.

In conclusion

This seat is really a top of the line, it is great to see how the new management has decided on a clean break with the past and aimed to bring Air India up to par with the competition.

I have seen the crew members of this A350 really convinced that this is the right way. At the moment I have no idea when I will be able to test this plane, but I think the biggest challenge for AI is to be able to deliver on the promises and expectations.

Above all, try to educate notoriously poorly disciplined Indian passengers on board, forbidding bringing too "fragrant" food on board, limiting the too many liberties some passengers take (e.g. video call on board in the middle of the night, I even witnessed a passenger using his cell phone to heat food).