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Air India announced its flagship A350-900 aircraft will operate Delhi-New York JFK flights from 1 November, 2024, and Delhi-Newark flights from 2 January, 2025.
Introducing Premium Economy on the key routes
The A350 deployment will introduce Air India’s Premium Economy class experience for the first time on the Delhi-New York JFK and Delhi-Newark routes. It will offer guests the choice of 24 wide seats arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration in a dedicated, upscale cabin that offers extra legroom and other enhancements.
Other cabins and latest signature experiences
Air India’s A350 aircraft feature 28 private suites in Business class with full-flat beds in a 1-2-1 configuration, and 264 spacious Economy seats arranged in a 3-4-3 configuration. Each suite in Business provides direct aisle access, sliding privacy doors, and a personal wardrobe.
All seats across cabins on the A350 come with the latest-generation Panasonic eX3 in-flight entertainment (IFE) system and HD screens that offer more than 2,200 hours of entertainment content from around the world.
The A350 flights will also feature the airline’s new signature soft products and award-winning guest enhancements unveiled earlier this year. These include new chinaware, new tableware and glassware, new bedding, and updated amenity kits for Business and Premium Economy guests, exclusively designed by Ferragamo and TUMI, respectively.
Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, said: “We are encouraged by the positive guest feedback we have received from the domestic deployment of our A350s to offer our hero product on the Delhi-New York JFK and Delhi-Newark routes. This is a significant leap forward for our U.S. operations that also underscores our commitment to continuous improvement.”
“The new seats, new inflight entertainment systems, and new soft products will together provide our guests with great comfort and service that are representative of the new Air India. We believe this enhanced offering will solidify Air India’s position as a leading carrier and attract travelers seeking a world-class flying experience between India and the United States.”
Upgraded cabin interiors on other U.S. routes
With deployment of the A350, 60% of all Air India flights to the U.S. will feature new or upgraded cabin interiors.
Over the last few months, Air India has been progressively replacing its legacy aircraft with newer ones on other U.S. routes, as part of its continued effort to offer guests a significantly improved flying experience. These aircraft feature upgraded seats and inflight entertainment systems.
The airline now operates its three class-configured Boeing 777-200LR on all non-stop flights between India (Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru) and San Francisco with upgraded cabin interiors, except a
3x weekly Delhi-San Francisco service. Each of these aircraft features 28 private suites with full-flat beds in Business, 48 wide seats in Premium Economy with extra legroom, and 212 seats in Economy as well as updated IFE systems. This allows Air India to consistently offer Premium Economy options to travelers taking non-stop flights to/from San Francisco.
Air India also operates a three class-configured Boeing 777-300ER on all flights from Mumbai to
New York JFK and Newark, featuring 8 luxurious First class suites, 40 full-flat beds in Business, 280 seats in Economy, and updated IFE systems.
The A350 seats on the Delhi-New York JFK and Delhi-Newark routes are now available for reservation on Air India’s website and mobile app or via travel agents.
| SCHEDULE OF A350 FLIGHTS ON U.S. ROUTES | |||||
| Flight # | Sector | Departure | Arrival | Days of Operation | Effective |
| AI101 | DEL-JFK | 0220 Hrs | 0735 Hrs | Daily | From Nov 1, 2024 |
| AI102 | JFK-DEL | 1230 Hrs | 1140 Hrs (+1) | Daily | |
| AI105 | DEL-EWR | 0400 Hrs | 0910 Hrs | 5x weekly | From Jan 2, 2025 |
| AI106 | EWR-DEL | 1115 Hrs | 1130 Hrs (+1) | 5x weekly | |
| SCHEDULE OF FLIGHTS OPERATED BY B777s WITH UPGRADED
INTERIOR PRODUCT |
||||
| Flight No. | Days of Operation | Sector | Departure | Arrival |
| Operated using Boeing 777-300ER | ||||
| AI119 | Daily | BOM-JFK | 0140 Hrs | 0740 Hrs |
| AI116 | Daily | JFK-BOM | 1155 Hrs | 1155 (+1) Hrs |
| AI191 | Wed, Fri, Sun | BOM-EWR | 0145 Hrs | 0755 Hrs |
| AI144 | Wed, Fri, Sun | EWR-BOM | 1205 Hrs | 1210 Hrs (+1) |
| Operated using Boeing 777-200LR | ||||
| AI173 | Daily | DEL-SFO | 0355 Hrs | 0700 Hrs |
| AI174 | Daily | SFO-DEL | 1030 Hrs | 1445 Hrs (+1) |
| AI179 | Mon, Tue, Fri, Sat | BOM-SFO | 1350 Hrs | 1800 Hrs |
| AI180 | Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun | SFO-BOM | 2030 Hrs | 0140 Hrs (+1) |
| AI175 | Wed, Thu, Sun | BLR-SFO | 1350 Hrs | 1730 Hrs |
| AI176 | Mon, Tue, Fri | SFO-BLR | 2100 Hrs | 0325 Hrs (+1) |
+1 denotes next day arrival. DEL = Delhi, BOM = Mumbai, BLR = Bengaluru, JFK = New York JFK, EWR = Newark, SFO = San Francisco
Air India’s orders for A350 and the aircraft in commercial service
Air India has taken delivery of six A350-900 aircraft since the beginning of 2024, having thus far deployed the aircraft in service on flights within India and on the Delhi-Dubai route for regulatory compliance as well as crew familiarisation purposes. From September 1, 2024, Air India will start flying its A350-900 to London Heathrow from Delhi. Air India has 34 other A350s on order with Airbus, including 20 A350-1000s.
Air India’s U.S. presence
Air India currently flies to five points in the United States, namely New York JFK, Newark, Washington DC, Chicago, and San Francisco. The airline operates 51x weekly flights to the United States from India.
