Air India has taken delivery of its first legacy Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft after a major refurbishment, as part of its broader plan to revamp its aging wide-body fleet. The upgrade comes in the backdrop of delays in the full retrofitting programme, which was initially slated to start last year but got pushed due to persistent supply chain challenges.

Heavy refresh underway as retrofit gets delayed

With the retrofitting of its legacy B777 aircraft facing setbacks, Air India opted for a “heavy refresh” — a mid-level upgrade involving replacement of carpets, seat covers, cushions, and repairs to broken seats. The first such refurbished aircraft was upgraded in Singapore over a period of approximately 50 days.

According to airline officials, similar work on the remaining 12 legacy B777-300 ERs is expected to be completed by the end of 2025. The newly refreshed aircraft will initially be deployed on domestic routes for brief testing before being put back into service on ultra-long-haul flights.

Focus on ultra-long-haul operations

Air India primarily uses the Boeing 777-300 ER fleet for long-haul operations to destinations such as Toronto, Vancouver, San Francisco, Chicago, Newark, and New York. These routes often exceed 14 hours in flight duration, placing them in the ultra-long-haul category.

The carrier currently operates 13 legacy B777-300 ERs as part of a total fleet of 198 aircraft, including a mix of wide-body and narrow-body jets. Some of these legacy aircraft also feature first-class cabins, though it’s not confirmed if those are part of the refresh programme.

Broader fleet overhaul in progress

The airline’s total wide-body fleet comprises 67 aircraft:

• 19 B777-300 ERs (including 6 leased from Etihad Airways)
• 8 B777-200 LRs (5 leased from Delta Air Lines)
• 27 B787-8s
• 7 B787-9s
• 6 A350-900s

Air India has also scheduled its first legacy B787 aircraft for retrofit in April this year. Narrow-body fleet upgrades are also in progress under a $400 million programme, with the first retrofitted A320 neo already back in service. The airline targets completion of A320 neo refits by Q3 2025 and full retrofitting of legacy wide-body aircraft by mid-2027.

Supply chain constraints affect timelines

The delay in retrofitting plans has largely been attributed to global supply chain disruptions. Air India CEO Campbell Wilson recently highlighted that issues persist across the aviation supply ecosystem — from engine shortages to seat supplier delays and fuselage part unavailability.

“It is going to remain a supply-constrained market, not just for Air India or India, but globally, for another four to five years,” Wilson remarked, underlining the widespread impact of these disruptions.

On April 2, Motorola unveiled the Edge 60 Fusion in India, enhancing its lineup of premium mid-range smartphones. This new device succeeds the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion and introduces several significant upgrades, including the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 7400 processor.

Price and availability in India 

The Motorola Edge 60 Fusion comes with a price tag of Rs. 22,999 for the variant featuring 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The model with 12GB of RAM and the same storage capacity is priced at Rs. 24,999. Interested buyers can purchase the smartphone through Flipkart and the official Motorola India website, with sales set to commence on April 9 at noon IST. The device is offered in three attractive color options: Pantone Amazonite, Pantone Zephyr, and Pantone Slipstream.

Specifications and features 

The Edge 60 Fusion boasts a stunning 6.7-inch all-curved pOLED display, offering a resolution of 1.5K (1,220×2,712 pixels). Its display features a 120Hz refresh rate, a 300Hz touch sampling rate, and can reach a peak brightness of 4,500 nits. The screen is HDR10+ certified and protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, with innovative Water Touch 3.0 technology integrated.

Under the hood, it operates on the MediaTek Dimensity 7400 SoC, coupled with up to 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of uMCP storage, expandable via microSD card up to 1TB. The phone runs on Android 15 with the Hello UI, promising three years of software updates and four years of security patches.

For photography enthusiasts, the device is equipped with a 50MP Sony LYT700C main sensor featuring optical image stabilization (OIS) and an f/1.8 aperture. It also includes a 13MP ultrawide camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a 32MP front-facing camera capable of 4K video recording.

Motorola has added several AI-driven features such as photo enhancement tools, adaptive stabilization, and a magic eraser. The phone supports Google’s Circle to Search as well and comes with essential security and productivity enhancements, including Moto Secure 3.0, Smart Connect 2.0, and Family Space 3.0.

The Edge 60 Fusion is powered by a robust 5,500mAh battery that supports 68W Turbo Charging via USB Type-C. It also features dual stereo speakers enhanced with Dolby Atmos for an improved audio experience.

Connectivity options on the device include support for 5G and 4G LTE networks, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, GPS capabilities, and more. For user security, it features an in-display fingerprint scanner, and the device is built to last, boasting MIL-810H military certification along with IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust and water resistance.

New Zealand registered a convincing 84-run victory over Pakistan in the second ODI in Hamilton on Wednesday, sealing the three-match series 2-0. With the final match set to take place in Mount Maunganui on Saturday, the Kiwis will now aim for a clean sweep.

Pacer Ben Sears was the standout performer, claiming a remarkable five-wicket haul (5/59) in just his third ODI. After going wicketless in his previous two appearances, Sears turned the tide with his fierce bowling, dismantling Pakistan’s middle and lower order.

Chasing 293, Pakistan’s innings fell apart early. Will O’Rourke removed Abdullah Shafique for 1, followed by Jacob Duffy dismissing Babar Azam (1) and Imam-ul-Haq, leaving Pakistan at 9/3 within six overs. Salman Agha (9) also failed to settle, and captain Mohammad Rizwan struggled before departing for 5 off 27 balls.

Tayyab Tahir (13), Mohammad Wasim (1), and Akif Javed were unable to revive the innings. A late 60-run partnership between Faheem Ashraf (73 off 80) and Naseem Shah (51 off 44) offered brief resistance, but the damage had already been done. Pakistan were eventually bowled out, with Duffy finishing with figures of 3/35. O’Rourke and Nathan Smith took one wicket each.

Earlier, New Zealand posted a total of 292/8 after being sent in to bat. Openers Rhys Mariu (18) and Nick Kelly (31) got off to a brisk start. Despite a middle-order wobble that saw the side slump to 132/5, a 77-run stand between Muhammad Abbas (41) and Mitchell Hay stabilized the innings.

Hay played a crucial innings, narrowly missing out on a century with an unbeaten 99 off 78 deliveries, including seven fours and seven sixes. His knock proved vital in pushing New Zealand past the 290-mark and earned him the Player of the Match award.

For Pakistan, Sufiyan Muqeem (2/33) and Mohammad Wasim (2/78) were the notable performers with the ball.

Having already secured the series, New Zealand now have the chance to sweep Pakistan 3-0 in the final ODI this weekend.