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Air India has expanded its international footprint with 20 additional flights every week across cities like Birmingham, London and San Francisco.
The moved announced on Friday is a part of the airline’s on-going process to reposition itself as a leader on the international aviation map.
The company said the additional flights to these three cities will be introduced in a phase-wide manner between October and December.
There will be five additional flights a week to Birmingham, nine to London and six additional flights a week to San Francisco. In all, over 5,000 additional seats will be available to customers every week.
Flights to the UK
Air India’s currently has 34 flights every week to the UK; which will now go up to 48 flights a week.
Birmingham will receive extra five flights per week, three from Delhi and two additional from Amritsar.
There will be two flights per week between Delhi & Birmingham beginning October 2, and it will be scaled up of three flights per week from November 16, the company said.
London’s additional flight schedule will see five additional flights from Mumbai, three from Delhi and one from Ahmedabad. Additional flights to London will be operational October 30 onwards.
“Altogether, seven Indian cities will now have non-stop Air India flights to the UK’s capital,” the airline said in a statement.
Flights to the US
For the US,the flights will increase to 40 per week, from the existing 34.
Air India will now connect Mumbai with San Francisco with a thrice-weekly service, and reinstate a three-times-weekly Bengaluru operation. This takes Air India’s San Francisco offering to 10 a week.
According to Campbell Wilson, CEO & MD, Air India, the airline is reinventing itself under the Vihaan.AI transformation programme. Adding frequency and improving connectivity from major Indian cities to more international destinations is a significant focus.
“This sizeable frequency increase to the US and the UK, and the addition of new city pairs and improved aircraft cabin interiors, comes just 10 months after Air India’s acquisition by the Tata Group. It is a clear signal of our intent, and an early step towards a much bigger aspiration,” he said.
Lease and restoration of aircraft
In addition to leasing new aircraft, Air India has been working to restore existing narrow-body and wide-body aircraft to the operating fleet.
The airline has already enabled frequency increases between Delhi and Vancouver while it has addes numerous domestic services.
Under the Vihaan.AI program, the airline also focuses on “robust operations, industry leadership, commercial efficiency and profitability”.
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