When Air India's newest Boeing 787-9, VT-AWD, arrived in Delhi, it marked another milestone in the airline's transformation journey. For passengers, it represents a new generation of flying experience. For the teams that designed, customised, inspected and accepted the aircraft, it represents years of effort aimed at delivering an aircraft that reflects Air India's ambitions for customer experience, quality and safety.

Few people understand that journey better than Yuvraj Puri, Chief Manager - Technical Services (Engineering), who led Air India's acceptance of VT-AWD from Boeing in Everett, Washington.

Standing before the aircraft, Puri found himself reflecting on how quickly Air India's transformation is taking shape.

"What was there on paper is now there in front of us. Those changes are in front of me and very soon our passengers will be experiencing this new product," he says.

With more than 20 years in aviation and nearly a decade within the Tata aviation ecosystem, Puri has been closely involved in Air India's fleet renewal journey. Even so, seeing the airline's fourth line-fit Boeing 787-9 arrive within a matter of months of the previous delivery was a moment that stood out.

"I was really amazed and really happy about the pace at which we are getting aircraft. It's already four aircraft and it is just half a year," he says. "This marks a very significant bookmark in Air India's journey of transformation."