In a message to employees on Friday, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said that June marked a milestone for the Tata Group-owned airline, with overall on-time performance (OTP) reaching 86 per cent and domestic OTP touching a record 90 per cent. He said the improvement reflected stronger aircraft reliability, better operational systems and tighter execution, although he acknowledged that a temporarily reduced flight schedule and favourable weather had also contributed.
Campbell Wilson said customer response to the airline’s first retrofitted Boeing 787 Dreamliners had exceeded expectations. Net Promoter Score (NPS), a key measure of customer loyalty, improved by more than 70 points on the upgraded aircraft from (-31) on non-retrofitted aircraft to (+43). Passenger ratings for cabin comfort, inflight entertainment and meals also climbed from around 2.7 to 4.1 on a five-point scale.
Marking an upward tick in airline’s performance, CEO Wilson wrote, “First, the early customer response to our newly-retrofitted B787 fleet has been extremely heartening. Customer NPS on the two retrofitted aircraft back in operation has improved by more than 70 NPS points versus the non-retrofitted ones, rising from -31 to +43! CSAT scores for specific attributes like cabin comfort & ambience, IFE and meals have also risen markedly, from around 2.7 (out of 5) to 4.1. This is great validation that our new physical product is rising to match the quality of our people and service. With another B788 en route to California to commence retrofit as I write, and around 8 more new or retrofitted wide-bodies entering service this year (including a new B789 arriving in India this weekend), we can look forward to continued upgradation and positive feedback.”
“In addition to all-time-high NPS, June has also seen very strong improvement in on-time performance, with overall OTP at 86 per cent and domestic OTP at a remarkable 90 percent, both of which are the highest on record! While this is helped a little by our temporarily reduced schedule (and benign weather), it also rests on ongoing improvements in aircraft health, systems, focus and procedures. Put simply, our operation is becoming more resilient, and our customers are feeling the benefit,” the CEO said.
The airline has faced operational headwinds in recent months, including airspace disruptions linked to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, prompting temporary schedule reductions on parts of its network.
Air India Posts Record On-Time Performance in June, CEO Wilson Credits Operational Improvements
