A few years ago, Air India used to serve Washington via New York, but the service was discontinued. The carrier also had flights to Los Angeles in California, which was also discontinued before the merger of Indian Airlines with Air India in 2011.
Presently, Air India (AI) has operates flights to 34 international destinations spread across the US, Europe, Far-East and South-East Asia, and the Gulf. AI already operates non-stop flights to three US cities – New York, Chicago and Newark, with operations to San Francisco scheduled to commence from December 2 as reported earlier (See San Fransisco)
After San Francisco, Air India (AI) plans to launch direct flights to Washington DC and other cities in the US.
| Welcome aboard |
“AI is actively pursuing to connect more cities in the US (with India). A New Delhi-Washington flight is also in the pipeline,” said civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju.
“AI connects the country like no other airline. Today the AI is the one of the most impoverished Indian carriers, and I hope it comes out of its poverty,” Raju said, referring to the financial troubles of the national carrier. (See Air India Chief)
The Delhi-San Francisco flight will be of close to of 17 hours duration. The flight will leave Delhi on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, while the return service will be on Thursday, Saturday and Monday.
There are 3 cabin configuration:-
-8 seats in first class (costliest)
-35 in business and
-195 in economy.
The launch flight, both to and from San Francisco, has already been sold out and the demand was “tremendous” according to AI.
“This new flight will be a boon for the Indian diaspora in the US West Coast, making travel easy and convenient for students,” the carrier said in a release. “Next year, we will launch many new flights. 2016 will be a year of consolidation and growth for AI,” said the airline’s new chairman and managing director Ashwani Lohani. (See 7000 cr Mopped Up)
“The US is the biggest holiday destination for Indian travelers, with an estimated 10 lakh leisure travelers visiting the country every year. Non-stop flights to the US will attract good traffic,” said aviation expert Rajji Rai.
While you book your tickets, log on to NC Airways.
