Air India has announced that it will soon start deploying its new Airbus A350s on Ultra Long-Haul flights to New York and Newark. The airline says that this will help in “transforming passenger experience on these strategically important routes”.
Air India A350 to New York JFK and Newark
Starting 1st November 2024, Air India will operate its daily service between Delhi and New York JFK using Airbus A350s. And from 2nd January 2025, the airline’s 5-weekly service between Delhi and Newark Liberty will also be operated by Airbus A350s. With this, for the first time, Air India will offer Premium Economy on flights to New York JFK and Newark.
These will be the first Ultra Long-Haul routes for Air India’s A350s. The airline has already announced A350 flights between Delhi and London Heathrow starting 1st September 2024. Currently, the carrier’s A350s can be seen operating flights to Dubai from Delhi and Mumbai in addition to some domestic routes.
Read also: Air India A350 Economy Class Review: Maharaja in all its glory!
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.
Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India said.
Air India’s A350 features 28 Business Class Suites in a 1-2-1 configuration, 24 Premium Economy Class seats in a 2-4-2 layout and 264 Economy Class seats in a 3-3-3 configuration.
Air India says that these 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.
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60% U.S. flights upgraded
Air India says that with the deployment of A350s, 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.
The airline now operates its three class-configured ex-Delta Boeing B777-200LRs (Long Range) on all non-stop flights between India (Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru) and San Francisco with upgraded cabin interiors, except a 3-weekly Delhi-San Francisco service. Each of these aircraft features 28 private suites with full-flat beds in Business, 48 seats in Premium Economy with extra legroom, and 212 seats in Economy as well as updated IFE systems. The airline says that this allows it to “consistently offer Premium Economy options to travelers taking non-stop flights to/from San Francisco”.
Air India also operates three class-configured ex-Etihad Boeing B777-300ERs (Extra Range) on all flights from Mumbai to New York JFK and Newark, featuring 8 First class suites, 40 full-flat beds in Business, 280 seats in Economy, and updated IFE systems.
Below is the schedule of all these flights:
Air India says that it deployed A350 on Dubai flights “for regulatory compliance as well as crew familiarisation purposes”. The airline currently has six A350-900s in its fleet – all of them originally meant to be delivered to Aeroflot – with 34 more on order, including 20 A350-1000s.
New U.S. destinations on the way?
There have been rumours about Air India adding a new U.S. destination to its network. Currently, the airline operates 51-flights-a-week to five U.S. destinations – New York JFK, Newark, Washington DC, San Francisco and Chicago. According to some rumours, the airline is looking to start flights to Los Angeles, Dallas or Seattle.
With A350s being deployed on New York JFK and Newark flights, the B777s can be used to start flights to any of those destinations. If the rumours are true, we may as well see an announcement from Air India sooner rather than later.
Featured image by X/Nunoseletti
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One reply on “Air India to deploy A350 aircraft on Ultra Long-Haul flights to New York and Newark”
[…] Meanwhile, Air India recently announced that it will deploy Airbus A350-900s on long-haul flights to New York and Newark. […]