Air India has announced a new travel policy that will take effect from April 1, which will require senior officials, including the CEO and senior commanders, to travel in economy class for domestic flights.
This change will be phased in starting next month.
Top Management to Travel in Economy Class
Under the new policy, executives at the level of Vice President and above will be required to travel in economy class starting April 1. Senior commanders will follow this policy from June 1.
Previously, employees on official duty could travel in business class even for domestic flights, but this option will now be available only under specific circumstances.
Upgrade Option Under Certain Conditions
Air India has also introduced an upgrade option for employees. If there are empty seats in business or premium class up to 50 minutes before departure, employees will be given the chance to upgrade.
This policy ensures that paying customers will have priority for premium seats before staff can benefit from any upgrades.
Increased Demand for Premium Class
Sources from the airline indicate that the demand for premium class (business and premium economy) seats has surged in the past 27 months.
To prioritize customer needs, Air India has implemented this policy to ensure premium class seats are available to paying passengers first.
Expanding Premium Class Seats
To meet the growing demand, Air India is also increasing the number of premium class seats on its flights.
The airline’s A320 narrow-body aircraft currently have 50,000 premium economy seats available per week, including 53 aircraft that were transferred from Vistara, each with 24 premium economy seats.
Additionally, 14 A320neo aircraft have already been retrofitted with premium economy seats.
By October 2025, Air India plans to reconfigure 27 more A320 aircraft to include more economy seats, which will increase the total number of premium economy seats to 65,000 per week.
Half of these seats will be available on flights connecting major metro cities within India.
