Air India, promoted by the Tata Group, is set to introduce new destinations in the US after nearly a decade. Sources indicate that the 15-hour ultra-long-haul flights will commence from India to Los Angeles, California, and Dallas, Texas.
Currently, Air India is the only Indian airline operating flights to the US, serving five destinations: San Francisco, Chicago, New York-JFK, Newark, and Washington. The last US destination launched by the airline was San Francisco in 2015.
With over 120 weekly flights between India and the US, Air India plans to expand its services to meet the high demand for direct connections from the Indian diaspora in Los Angeles and Dallas. The new routes are expected to begin before the end of 2024, utilizing the airline’s Boeing 777s.
Additionally, Air India will start non-stop services between Delhi and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on September 15, using Airbus A320neo aircraft. The airline will also launch non-stop services between Bengaluru and London Gatwick next month, deploying Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Air India plans to introduce A350s for flights to continental North America. From September 1, the A350-900 will replace Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on the Delhi-London Heathrow route. Currently, the A350s operate on Delhi-Dubai and Mumbai-Dubai routes.
Air India’s fleet expansion includes orders for 250 new aircraft with Airbus. The airline received its first A350-900 on December 23 and plans to take delivery of 14 more A350-900s and 20 A350-1000s over the next few years.
Source: Financial Express