Recently had the chance to fly Air India’s new flagship aircraft, the A350-900 in business class, on a two hour flight between Hyderabad and Delhi. I thought I would share my thoughts on my experience and the new Air India in general. While it was a short flight, I definitely got the idea of what Air India is good and bad at doing.
How I booked this flight:
I booked my ticket using 15,000 Aeroplan points + $52 CAD, which seemed reasonable considering the ticket prices for this particular flight on a Friday evening was around $300+. Air India is very stingy about releasing award seats nowadays (they release like 1-2 per flight at the max) so I still had to buy two out of the four tickets for ~$700 (I used our CapitalOne travel credits for most of that).
Ground Services & Lounge Access:
Air India uses the Encalm Lounge (Domestic) at Hyderabad Airport, which I wrote about here. It’s got some great food options, but is absolutely packed. Other than that, nothing to write home about regarding the ground services. It’s certainly not Kingfisher Airlines at its peak. With that being said, I must say flight schedule monitors are absolutely atrocious at Hyderabad Airport. They just have small TVs lined up which keep shifting languages and times. It takes a good minute at times before you see your gate so if you are in a rush, this could be a huge problem.
Boarding:
As usual boarding is a grand charade with everyone seemingly confused about their place in line. Some people seated in economy were very confident that they were ahead of us in line and decided to cut through. Luckily, staff were firm enough to have them get in the other line, which I can’t say was the case with the old Air India. The nice thing however about boarding this plane was that they used two jet bridges as opposed to just one.
As soon as we stepped on, I noticed that the cabin was fresh, clean, and almost looked brand new. It didn’t show signs of any wear and tear just yet though it had been in service for 6 months already. My sister was altogether surprised that this was Air India we were flying.
Boarding was completed rather quickly on this particular evening. The business class cabin had a total of 8 people in total, which was a light load by any imagination. Within 20 minutes of taking my seat, we were pushing back from the gate and taxiing to the runway. And of course my face was glued to the window for a good 15 minutes as we flew over Hyderabad:
The Seat:
My seat on this short two hour flight to Delhi was 6K located on the starboard side of the aircraft. Air India took up Aeroflot’s A350 deliveries and refurbished the aircraft to feature some new decor. They did a decent job, but if you saw the Aeroflot interiors, you would notice that some the accents are still very much alive.
Air India’s Airbus A350-900 features 28 Collins Aerospace Horizon business class seats arranged in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration, ensuring direct aisle access for all passengers. In this layout, the middle and window seats alternate:
- Even-numbered rows (2, 4, 6): Middle seats are positioned closer to the aisle, and window seats are more private and farther from the aisle.
- Odd-numbered rows (1, 3, 5, 7): Middle seats are situated closer together, making them ideal for companions traveling together, and window seats are closer to the aisle.
- Each seat has direct aisle access, a privacy door, a compact coat closet, a vanity, and storage.
- The seat converts into a 6’6″ flat bed and includes a universal AC outlet and USB-A port.
Waiting at each seat were a pillow, light blanket ,and a pair of reusable headphones. It’s not terrible for a short flight and certainly above what’s offered on flights this short in the United States. The tray table is found right below the IFE and is particularly well designed so that you can push it away easily while it’s unfolded. So even if the FAs don’t collect trays as quickly as you want them to, there is a way to get to the lavatory….
The IFE itself featured an impressive selection of Bollywood and Hollywood movies and TV shows. Certainly better than most European carriers if you ask me.
Service:
Service on this short flight was fantastic. There was a hot towel service after take off and since it was pretty much an empty flight in business, the FAs were very attentive to me and tried to make sure I was comfortable. One of the great things about Air India has always been hospitality. They might have operationally been garbage (and may still be at times), but they’ve always had polite and courteous flight attendants.
Meal Service:
Meal service began about an hour after take off. Menu cards had been handed out just as we took our seats during boarding and they read as follows:
I had apparently pre-ordered the special meal— a vegan option— and the purser kindly pointed out its contents while mentioning that I could also choose from the regular menu. The vegetarian options on the menu seemed a bit heavier, so I decided to stick with my vegan meal: rajma, aloo gobhi (roasted potatoes and cauliflower), and rice. The entire meal was served on one tray and it came along with a hot aloo paratha wrapped in aluminum foil. I have to say, this was easily one of the best domestic business class meals I’ve had in the air in recent times. An Indian dessert was served with the meal tray which was basically a vegan version of Mysore Pak. Although dessert was already served, I was also offered Gulab Jamun and Lemon Curd Pastry, which I had to decline.
After dinner, it was pretty much time to land in Delhi. Unfortunately, I didn’t get much time to recline my seat too much and try it out in the flat bed position. But I have to say that the overall seat comfort is among the best in the sky. Heck I prefer this over the Singapore Airlines Business Class seat I flew 17 hours on from Seattle.
We arrived at an extremely foggy New Delhi Airport where it was difficult to see much out the window. Our plan was parked at a remote stand and we disembarked down some stairs after which we made our way to. a bus dedicated bus for business class passengers.
The bus was quite fancy and was exclusive to premium customers as I mentioned. There were leather couches on the bus! This was definitely not something Lufthansa, BA, or Air France have at their home airports.
Bottom Line:
Air India’s A350-900, despite inheriting Aeroflot’s interiors, offers an outstanding hard product. The Collins Aerospace Horizon seat is a game-changer, providing direct aisle access, privacy doors, and a fully flat 6’6″ bed. The staggered layout ensures options for both solo travelers and companions, and the cabin—though lightly refreshed—feels modern, clean, and premium. The IFE selection is impressive, surpassing many European airlines.
Service was excellent, with attentive and hospitable flight attendants—a signature Air India strength. The meal service stood out, with authentic and flavorful Indian cuisine, making it one of the best domestic business class meals in the sky.
While the ground experience and boarding process still need refinement, the onboard experience exceeded expectations. With Tata’s ongoing improvements, Air India is clearly moving in the right direction, and this A350 is a significant step forward for the airline. If only they could stop flying over Russian airspace even after the recent incidents and other airlines hitting pause on doing that.
