It is an exciting time for Air India and the changes will manifest in the air as well as on the ground this year, the airline's chief Campbell Wilson said as the Tata Group-owned carrier opened its new lounge at the Delhi airport.

The airline will also be opening lounges in San Francisco, New York and other cities. Spread across 16,000 square feet, the Maharaja Lounge at the Delhi airport can accommodate around 300 guests in 'Business' and 'First Class' sections.

In a brief interaction with PTI after the opening of the lounge on Thursday evening, Wilson said it is an "exciting time" for Air India and 2026 is the year when the changes will "really manifest in the air" and on the ground as he mentioned about retrofit of wide-body planes.

"By the end of this year we'll have about half, a little bit more than half of our wide-body aircraft upgraded to a new standard. It will take another 18-24 months beyond that to complete the rest of the fleet (upgrade)... but increasingly we will have a very much more consistent world-class experience on Air India.

"It is an exciting time and I think the new Air India is starting to become visible," he said.

In a statement on Friday, Wilson said the new lounge at the Delhi airport is a significant milestone in the airline's transformation journey and that its strategic expansion plans include substantial investments to build more such platforms across countries that it flies to.

Air India Group -- Air India and Air India Express -- has over 300 planes.

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