When Vistara’s brand new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner arrived in Delhi on the 29th February, it made history in so many ways. It was the first widebody for Vistara, the first 787-9 for an Indian airline and is debuting some incredible international cabin products for the first time too. Let’s take a look inside.

Dreams take flight

The Dreamliner is a well-loved aircraft among passengers around the world. As with any 787, Vistara’s new aircraft will feature as an advanced air purification system, more headroom, greater space in overhead bins, larger windows that give an increased sense of space, turbulence-dampening technology and lower cabin altitude. That’s just what comes as standard!

In addition to all the usual Dreamliner benefits, Vistara has added a number of brand new features to this aircraft, previously unseen on other planes in its fleet. That’s because, with the arrival of the 787, the airline’s long-distance dreams can start to take flight.

Vistara 787 Dreamliner
Every cabin has had a makeover. Photo: Vistara

While we don’t have full details of the long haul destinations or dates, I think we can all agree that now is not a good time for any airline to begin a new route. As such, we can expect to wait a while for coronavirus to play out before firm plans are laid down. However, previous hints from the airline suggest that London is a top destination under consideration.

In the meantime, you can catch Vistara’s 787 flying domestically between Delhi and Mumbai during March. This domestic operation of the new plane will serve to allow the crew to familiarize themselves with its operation before jumping into longer flights.

What’s inside the Dreamliner?

Vistara has brought some incredible improvements to the cabins of this stunning aircraft. Every single cabin has had a refresh: business, premium economy and economy. CEO of Vistara, Leslie Thng, commented on the new cabins saying,

“With the unveiling of our new cabin products, today’s milestone reflects Vistara’s deep-rooted commitment to providing our customers with a premium travel experience like no other carrier in India. We are confident that millions of our loyal customers will be delighted to have the choice of flying their favourite Indian airline now on long haul international routes as well.”

Vistara 787 Dreamliner
The business class cabin. Photo: Vistara

Up front, in the business class cabin, Vistara offers 30 Stelia seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. Every seat is able to recline into a fully flat bed, and is upholstered in real premium leather for optimum comfort.

Vistara 787 Dreamliner
Lie flat comfort for those longer flights. Photo: Vistara

For entertainment, the business class passengers can switch on the 18” HD touchscreen monitor, complete with remote handset for navigating the IFE and controlling the ambient lighting.

Vistara 787 Dreamliner
Upgraded food in business too. Photo: Vistara

Next up is premium economy. Here, Vistara has 21 RECARO seats in a 2-3-2 layout. These too have been upholstered in high-quality premium leather, and while they don’t lie flat, the 7” recline is a generous amount of movement.

Vistara 787 Dreamliner
The premium economy cabin. Photo: Vistara

These seats come complete with individually adjustable calf rests and extendable footrests, as well as six-way adjustable headrests. The IFE her is a 13” HD touchscreen, also with a hand held remote.

Vistara 787 Dreamliner
Shopping in flight could generate significant ancillary revenue. Photo: Vistara
Vistara 787 Dreamliner
Plenty of legroom and 7" of recline. Photo: Vistara

Down in economy, Vistara’s Dreamliner has seating for 248 passengers. These are in a comfortable 3-3-3 layout and are also manufactured by RECARO. Passengers can make the most of the 12” IFE monitor, and have a comfortable 31” of pitch as well as 5” of recline.

Vistara 787 Dreamliner
Economy class on the Dreamliner. Photo: Vistara

Interestingly, Vistara has specified a higher literature pocket on these seats, a tweak it says will add more legroom and comfort for its economy passengers.

These Dreamliners are arriving equipped with Panasonic inflight connectivity, ready to begin WiFi service on the ISRO GSAT 14 Ku-band network. This, in partnership with Nelco, will see Vistara become the first airline in India to offer inflight WiFi.

Are you excited to try out the Vistara Dreamliner? Let us know in the comments.