Air India announced its flagship Airbus A350-900 aircraft will operate on Delhi-New York and Delhi-Newark routes from November 1, 2024, and January 2, 2025, respectively, transforming its passenger experience on these strategically important routes.
As per an airline statement, the A350 deployment will introduce Air India’s Premium Economy class experience on these two 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.
Air India’s A350 aircraft features 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.
Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, of 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 travellers seeking a world-class flying experience between India and the United States.”
With the deployment of the A350, 60 per cent of all Air India flights to the US will feature new or upgraded cabin interiors. 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 suites, 40 full-flat beds in Business, 280 seats in Economy, and updated IFE systems.
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.
Since its first flight on October 15, 1932, Air India has built an extensive domestic network with non-stop flights to cities around the world, across the USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Far-East, South-East Asia, Australia, and the Gulf. After 69 years as a government-owned enterprise, Air India and Air India Express were welcomed back into the Tata group in January 2022.
