iNDICA NEWS BUREAU–
After a decade-long hiatus, Air India, India’s national carrier, is poised to expand its US operations with two new ultra-long-haul destinations. According to recent reports, the airline plans to launch 15-hour non-stop flights from India to Los Angeles, California, and Dallas, Texas.
These additions will complement Air India’s existing US network, which currently serves five major cities – San Francisco, Chicago, New York-JFK, Newark, and Washington D.C. As the sole Indian airline operating flights to the United States, Air India currently maintains over 120 weekly round-trip services between the two countries.
This development heralds a new era for Air India, as its last US route launch was to San Francisco in 2015. This move comes two years after the airline’s privatization, when Talace Private Limited, a subsidiary of Tata Sons, acquired the formerly government-owned carrier for ₹180 billion (approximately $2.4 billion) in January 2022.
Air India’s decision to connect Los Angeles and Dallas with India is driven by high demand from the substantial Indian diaspora communities in these regions. The airline aims to tap into this market by offering direct flights, eliminating the need for lengthy layovers and connections.
The new services are expected to commence before the end of 2024, using Air India’s Boeing 777 fleet. However, the carrier has plans to eventually deploy its Airbus A350 aircraft on North American routes. Air India operates A350s on the Delhi-Dubai-Delhi and Mumbai-Dubai-Mumbai sectors, having initially used these aircraft on domestic routes for crew familiarization. The airline received its first of 20 Airbus A350-900 aircraft, registered as VT-JRA, on December 23, 2023, and now has six A350s in its fleet.
Air India’s ambitious expansion plans include a firm order for 250 new Airbus aircraft. In addition to the six A350-900s already in service, the airline is set to receive 14 more A350-900s and 20 A350-1000s in the coming years.
Beyond the new US routes, Air India is also enhancing its international presence elsewhere. The carrier will launch non-stop services between Bengaluru and London Gatwick (LGW) in August, utilizing Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Furthermore, starting September 15, Air India will operate non-stop flights between Delhi and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, using Airbus A320neo aircraft.
In a parallel development, Tata Sons is merging Air India and Vistara, a full-service carrier established in 2013 as a joint venture between Tata Sons (51 percent) and Singapore Airlines Limited (49 percent). Vistara currently operates international flights to destinations in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.
