In January 2024, I attended Wings India (an aviation festival) in Hyderabad and was amongst the first people to step onboard Air India’s brand-new Airbus A350-900.
This event marked a huge step for Air India, as the airline is undergoing a huge transformation and has aspirations to establish itself as a world-class airline once again, and the A350 was a major milestone in this plan.
At the time, I was very impressed by Air India’s A350, and since then I’d heard very positive reviews about the onboard experience from my colleagues at Prince of Travel who’d flown it on the London–Delhi route.
I was very keen to finally try the product out for myself, and I had nearly 17 hours to soak in Air India’s A350 business class experience when I flew from Delhi to New York JFK on the tail end of a work trip to India.
Air India A350 Business Class – Ground Experience
With a departure time at the ungodly hour of 2:45am, I left my hotel in Delhi around 11:30pm and arrived at the airport around midnight.
Check-in was a breeze, and after heading through a less breezy and crowded security area, I made my way to the lounge area in Terminal 3.
Air India’s flagship Maharaja Lounge was getting a makeover when I visited, and I’m looking forward to seeing what the airline has in store for its new lounge concept.
Instead, I made my way to the Encalm Privé Lounge, where I spent a couple of hours sipping on my last cups of masala chai and speaking with a Dutch traveller who unfortunately broke his leg on his trip. It was his first time flying in business class, and I was happy to hear his enthusiasm (despite having a broken leg).
About an hour prior to departure, I made my way to the gate and found that boarding had already commenced for business class passengers. I made my way through the separate queue for business class (and First Class) passengers, and headed down to the aircraft.
Note that Air India doesn’t currently offer a First Class cabin on the A350, but it plans to as it takes delivery of future A350s.
Air India A350 Business Class – Cabin
As I made my way down the jet bridge, I was excited to see how the A350 looked after being in service for just over a year.
Air India’s A350 business class cabin features seven rows of Collins Aerospace Horizon seats in a 1-2-1 configuration.
On the windows, the seats alternate between being closer to the window and closer to the aisle. Odd-numbered seats are closer to the aisle, while even-numbered seats are closer to the window.
In the middle section, the seats alternate between “honeymoon” seats (close to each other) in odd-numbered rows, and farther apart in even-numbered rows.
The below photo is from my media tour of the aircraft in 2024. The middle seats were occupied by the time I boarded the plane.
The best seats for individual travellers are even-numbered seats on the windows, followed by odd-numbered seats at the windows and even-numbered seats in the middle section.
For couples, odd-numbered seats in the middle section offer the opportunity to share the experience together, especially as the divider can be slid open.
Air India A350 Business Class – Seat
As I settled in to seat 4A, I was pleased to see that the cabin was holding up very well for the most part, which is a complaint often shared about Air India’s other business class cabins.
On the surface space next to the seat were the food and drink menus for flight, and on the seat was a wool blanket and a pillow that also functions as a mattress pad. Tucked beside the seat is a drink holder (which had a bottle of water there), as well as a literature pocket.
There is a cabinet above the surface space, in which I found noise-cancelling headphones, a large mirror, and shelves to store some items. Outside of the cabinet is a lamp, as well as a reading light closer to the seat, and you’ll also find a universal power outlet and USB ports underneath the cabinet.
The seat controls are found on the edge of the surface space, under which there is an entertainment controller, too. I noticed a bit of wear showing on the seat controls, which was a bit surprising to see given how new the aircraft is.
A pillow and duvet were placed in the footwell, which is underneath the tray table and entertainment screen. The electronic window shades are operated by a button above the window.
To the right of the entertainment screen is a closet, and underneath the surface space is a small drawer for placing your shoes. It had some slippers waiting for me when I was exploring the seat.
One of the most striking features of Air India’s A350 business class seats is the sliding door, which offers excellent privacy from the aisle.
Overall, I was very impressed with Air India’s A350 business class seat. Having flown on Air India’s 777 business class and the ex-Delta One aircraft also used by Air India, I remarked at how much of an improvement this is, and I hope that the cabin holds up in the years to come.
I’m also excited to see what Air India has in store for its own cabin design, which we’re expecting to learn more about in the years ahead.
Air India A350 Business Class – Amenities
After I’d settled into my seat, I was offered a choice of welcome beverages: buttermilk or orange juice. Frankly, I was a bit surprised not to see Champagne offered as a choice, especially seeing as Air India’s aiming to compete with Gulf-based carriers.
I opted for an orange juice this time, which was followed shortly thereafter with a towel service.
The flight attendants also came around to offer business class passengers some loungewear and a Ferragamo amenity kit. Inside the amenity kit was lip balm, body lotion, hand cream, socks, an eyeshade, ear plugs, and a dental kit. I appreciated the Maharaja charm on the presentation bag that housed the actual amenity kit, which is also a unique offering.
Air India’s loungewear is made by Tumi, and I found it to be very comfortable and have since used it at home, too.
I changed into my loungewear prior to the flight’s departure, and noted that the restrooms weren’t particularly remarkable in any way. The crew kept them clean throughout the flight.
Air India A350 Business Class – Meal Service
Given the departure time in the middle of the night, I opted for a few hours of rest before waking up to (ideally) catch an NHL playoff hockey game streamed on Wi-Fi (more on that later).
I pressed the call button when I awoke, and the flight attendant came by quickly and brought me the first of many masala chais I’d enjoy on the flight a few minutes later. I appreciate the attention to detail across Air India’s crockery, and loved the tea cup with the Maharaja emblazoned on its front.
When it came time for breakfast service, I was first presented with a choice of orange juice and a banana smoothie. I opted for the smoothie this time around, which is how I usually like to start my days at home.
Next up, the flight attendants brought out a purple tray with bircher muesli, fresh fruit, a croissant, and sparkling water. Again, the attention to detail on the crockery really elevated the experience, with intricate designs on the cutlery and the tiffin box salt & pepper shaker.
For my main course, I opted for the Amritsari Pindi Chole, a Punjabi-style chickpea dish served with vegetable-stuffed flatbread and spiced potato roundels.
I’m a big fan of Indian cuisine, and I found the meal to be fantastic. The mixture of spices offered a tasty burst of flavour that lends itself very well to in-flight dining.
After the first meal service, I decided to get some rest and watched a show.
Later on in the flight, we were offered the main meal, which I enjoyed alongside a glass of sparkling water and Laurent-Perrier Champagne.
For an appetizer, I was presented with a plate of smoked salmon and balsamic-glazed zucchini and artichoke salad.
For my main, I chose the Tandoori Bharwan Murg, a dish with roasted stuffed chicken rolls served in tomato sauce alongside cumin pulao, a lentil stew, sauteéd vegetables, and a cucumber mint raita.
Once again, I was very impressed with the meal service, and if I’d had a greater appetite, I would have asked for a second serving or additional dish.
To wrap things up on a sweet note, I enjoyed a coffee feuilletine parfait, which was presented beautifully on a triangular purple plate.
Again, I should reiterate how impressed I was with the meal service. I thoroughly enjoyed everything that I ate on the flight, and I think Air India’s crockery and presentation really elevated the experience.
Air India A350 Business Class – Bar
While I decided to keep things mostly dry for this flight, I wanted to check out the mini-bar located behind the business class cabin in the galley.
In addition to some spirits, the crew had some snacks set up for business class passengers to enjoy.
The bar didn’t seem to get too much attention from passengers during the flight, but there was a flight attendant available to help with drinks on the couple of occasions that I passed through the galley to check it out.
I gotta say, I absolutely love Air India’s glassware. It’s so unique and intricate, and it offers a beautiful presentation for drinks and snacks.
Air India A350 Business Class – Bed
After a busy few days of work in Delhi, and especially with a middle-of-the-night departure time, I was looking forward to getting some solid rest on this flight.
At the time, our routing had to avoid Pakistan’s airspace, and then hugged the southern shore of the Black Sea, which extended the flight time to around 16 hours 30 minutes or so.
When I was ready for some rest, I pressed the call button and asked a flight attendant to prepare my bed while I freshened up.
Once again, I found the attention to detail apparent, and I really liked the way the bed was set up with the beautiful wool blanket showcased.
In terms of comfort, the Air India A350 business class bedding isn’t the most comfortable setup I’ve experienced in my travels, though it was also far from the worst.
I thought the mattress pad dubbing as a back pillow was a nice way to get multiple uses out of an amenity, and I managed to get a few hours of solid sleep as we made our way across the Atlantic towards New York.
Air India A350 Business Class – Entertainment & Wi-Fi
Air India offers a 21″ high-definition entertainment screen for business class passengers.
While I didn’t spend too much time watching shows during this flight, I found the screen to be crisp and responsive. Based on what I could tell, there was a huge selection of entertainment options, though I spent a lot of my time with the onboard camera switched on.
Air India offers in-flight Wi-Fi on all flights operated by Airbus A350-900 and Boeing 787-9 aircraft, as well as select Airbus A321neo aircraft.
As I mentioned earlier, I woke up a few hours into the flight as there was an NHL playoff game that I was keen to watch.
Unfortunately, the Wi-Fi connection couldn’t handle streaming a game, and I was disappointed to also find that it couldn’t support a radio broadcast either.
I think this may have just been bad luck, as some of my colleagues have enjoyed fast Wi-Fi on their Air India A350 flights.
Needless to say, I was a bit upset that I had to miss a game due to issues with the Wi-Fi, but I don’t think this is an ongoing issue that most other passengers will experience.
Conclusion
By and large, I was very impressed by Air India’s A350 business class experience. It offers an excellent hard product, and I found most aspects of the soft product to be competitive with many other airlines.
As I’ve mentioned a few times in this review, the attention to detail in the soft product is really apparent, and Air India deserves some accolades for the design of its best onboard offering. I found the food to be delicious, too, and the flight attendants were warm, professional, and courteous with their service.
My experience with Air India A350 business class also aligns with what I’d heard from my colleagues, and I wouldn’t hesitate to fly it again when my work or travels bring me back to India.
While I think that Air India has an exciting future ahead, it’s going to take years for the airline to refresh its fleet and bring the whole passenger experience up to the standard it set out with the A350.
Indeed, with new and refurbished lounges on the horizon, a great business class experience on the A350, hundreds of aircraft on order, and backing from the Tata Group, I believe there’s a roadmap to Air India offering an elevated passenger experience from start to finish. It’s just going to take a while to get there.
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