Air India Upgrades Delhi–Toronto to a Daily Nonstop on the New Boeing 787-9

If you've been keeping half an eye on Air India's slow rebuild, the Delhi to Toronto route just landed one of its biggest upgrades yet.

From August 1, 2026, Air India is putting its new factory-built Boeing 787-9 on the route, making it a daily nonstop in both directions and finally killing off that awkward refuelling stop in Vienna.

For Canadians flying to India, this is easily one of the most tangible wins to come out of Air India's fleet overhaul. It's also a great Aeroplan redemption, so let me walk you through what's changing, what the cabins are like, and how I'd actually book it.

Daily, Nonstop, and Three Hours Shorter

Two things change here. How often the flight runs, and how it gets there.

Air India is bumping Delhi to Toronto from five flights a week up to a daily service, and the westbound leg finally goes fully nonstop.

Up to now, that flight had to stop in Vienna to refuel, which dragged the trip out to around 20 hours. Drop the stop and you're down to about 17 hours, so you're shaving off close to three hours right there.

The eastbound Toronto to Delhi leg was already nonstop at around 16 hours, and nothing changes there.

It's a single daily rotation. Here are the exact timings.

Flight	Aircraft	Route	Departs	Arrives	Duration
AI187	Boeing 787-9	Delhi to Toronto	1:35am	8:50am	~17 hours, nonstop
AI189	Boeing 777-300ER	Delhi to Toronto	12:00pm	10:35pm	~20 hours, via Vienna
AI188	Boeing 787-9	Toronto to Delhi	12:30pm	2:05pm (next day)	~16 hours, nonstop

All times are local, and the new 787-9 nonstop begins August 1.

This is the upgrade we first flagged back in April. The marquee daily flight, AI187, now runs on the new 787-9 nonstop, and it's the one to book if you want the new cabins and the shorter trip.

Just know that Air India still runs a 777-300ER on the route as well, flying as AI189. Pull up its details and you'll see it routes through Vienna, which is what stretches the trip past 20 hours.

Inside the New 787-9 Cabins

The cabins are what make this worth caring about. Air India's factory-built 787-9 seats 296 people across three classes, a completely different world from the tired two-class layouts still flying on a lot of the older fleet. These are the same next-generation seats Air India fitted to its retrofitted 787-8s.

Business Class

Up front, you get 30 Elevate Ascent suites in a 1-2-1 layout, so nobody's climbing over a seatmate to reach the aisle. Each one has a sliding door, 42 inches of pitch, a fully flat 79-inch bed, a 17-inch 4K screen, and wireless charging. When our team got an early look at these suites, the footwell felt a touch tight and storage was a little limited, but honestly the product holds its own against the big international carriers.

Premium Economy

The middle cabin is the part I'd flag for most Canadians. The 787-9 has 28 premium economy seats in a 2-3-2 layout with 38 inches of pitch, and this is the first time Air India has ever put premium economy on a route between Canada and India.

Economy

Down the back, there are 238 economy seats, each with a 4K seatback screen and both USB-A and USB-C charging. Our review of Air India's new business class on the A350 came away impressed, and the 787-9 carries the same modern look and feel.

Part of a $70 Billion Overhaul

It's worth zooming out here, because this one route is a small piece of a massive bet. Since the Tata Group took Air India back into private hands in 2022, the airline has been pouring money into a full turnaround.

In 2023, Air India placed one of the largest aircraft orders in aviation history, 470 jets from Airbus and Boeing worth around $70 billion (USD) at list prices. It followed that up with another 100 Airbus aircraft in 2024, and the order book includes new A350s, 787 Dreamliners, and 777X widebodies still to come.

On top of all the new metal, Air India committed $400 million (USD) to retrofit its older 787s and 777s, the same program that's putting these new cabins onto the rest of the widebody fleet. It's also inducting new A350-900s and opening a flagship lounge in Delhi.

So the Delhi to Toronto upgrade isn't a one-off. It's one visible result of an airline spending at a scale we rarely see, and there's plenty more on the way.

Booking Delhi to Toronto with Aeroplan

Here's where it gets fun for points collectors. Air India sits on Aeroplan's fixed distance-based partner chart, which means predictable pricing and, best of all, zero fuel surcharges.

Toronto to Delhi is about 7,500 miles, which drops it into the 6,001 to 8,000 mile band on Aeroplan's North America to Atlantic chart. India lives in Aeroplan's Atlantic zone, so that's the chart you're working with.

After the June 2026 chart update, that band runs 90,000 Aeroplan points one way in business class, or 60,000 points one way in economy. Double those for a round trip, so 180,000 in business or 120,000 in economy.

First class is its own story. The 787-9 doesn't have a first cabin, so the only way to book first on this route is the older 777-300ER, where Aeroplan charges 150,000 points one way. It's the legacy product rather than the new suites, but the option is there if you want it.

And because it's fixed pricing, you skip the dynamic pricing games that can send other options way above the chart. In one search I pulled, Air Canada's own nonstop was asking 256,000 points for business class on this exact route, which makes the flat 90,000 on Air India look like a steal.

For context, we value Aeroplan points at 2 cents each at Prince of Travel, so 90,000 points is around $1,800 (CAD) of value. Cash business class fares to India regularly run several thousand dollars, so you're getting a lot for your points here, especially with nothing tacked on for surcharges.

The one cost to remember is Aeroplan's $39 (CAD) partner booking fee, which kicks in on any itinerary with a non-Air Canada partner like Air India. Beyond that, taxes and fees are light.

There's one limit worth knowing. Aeroplan only prices premium economy awards on Air Canada flights, not on partners. So as nice as Air India's new premium economy cabin is, you can't book it as a premium economy award through Aeroplan. Want that middle cabin? You're paying cash.

Delhi is one of Air India's two main hubs, so you're not stuck ending your trip there. You can tack on a stopover in Delhi for just 5,000 points, or connect straight through to Mumbai, Bengaluru, or Goa on the same ticket.

Just keep an eye on the total distance, because a long domestic add-on can bump you into the next pricing band. For most people, a quick Delhi stopover to break up the journey is the easy call.

Air India has generally been decent about releasing award space to Star Alliance partners, and going daily should only make that easier. I'll usually scan the United Airlines calendar to spot space, then hop over to aircanada.com to actually book it.

If you're chasing business class, check the very edge of the schedule around 355 days out, or keep watching for last-minute seats in the final few weeks before departure.

Should You Hold Out for the New Aircraft?

On this route, the play is simple. Book AI187, the 787-9 nonstop, and you're on the new product. AI189 still flies the older 777-300ER with its Vienna stop, so it's the one to avoid unless its timing happens to suit you.

Everywhere else, you'll want to pay attention. Air India still has 25 more Dreamliners to work through, and plenty of routes will keep flying the old product for a while. On anything other than Delhi to Toronto, check your aircraft type before you get your hopes up.

And if you're not starting in Toronto, the recent Air India and WestJet interline partnership makes it easier to connect in from other Canadian cities.

My honest take? This is now one of the best ways to get to India from Canada. Paying cash, the new premium economy is the sweet spot on comfort and price. Using points, business class at a flat 90,000 is the move.

Conclusion

Air India's turnaround has been a slow grind, but this is the kind of upgrade you actually feel. A daily nonstop, a modern cabin, and a real premium economy option is a big step up from what Canadians had even a year ago.

If India's anywhere on your radar, this is the corridor to watch. I'd book the 787-9 in business with Aeroplan points at that flat 90,000 rate the moment my dates lined up, and I'd happily pay cash for premium economy if I wanted the middle cabin.