Air India to add US nonstops post Nov 8 Uncle Sam reopening for fully jabbed | India News – Rashtra News : Rashtra News
#Air #India #add #nonstops #post #Nov #Uncle #Sam #reopening #fully #jabbed #India #News #Times #India
NEW DELHI: This could be the last expansion of services by state-owned Air India before it transits to the Tata Group and the big bang expansion then. The Maharaja will be adding its highly popular US nonstops from next month as Uncle Sam reopens for fully vaccinated foreign travellers stating November 8.
It currently has 23 weekly flights to America. “We are adding three more weekly flights, between Mumbai and Newark, from second week of November. We are awaiting normal flight operation clearance from US airports. So AI will have 26 weekly flights, a number that could have been much higher if we had more Boeing 777s available and had so many of them not been down with maintenance issues,” said officials, adding that out of 16 B777s, nine are available for operations at the moment.
A severe paucity of funds has seen several AI planes grounded due to spare issues. Getting the existing fleet, or newly leased planes, up in the air to mount more flights will be crucial for the Tatas to cash in on the reopening of travel. An airline insider said AI is awaiting “achche din” with the Tatas taking over. “Hopefully with Tatas getting in board, our days of slow/no/bad decision making will be over. As a PSU decision making is much slower due to clearances required. Private airline owners have in pre-pandemic times been known to order planes on SMS during board meetings,” said an insider.
AI is the biggest operator of nonstops between India and the US, followed by United. American Airlines is starting flights here this week. Delta has not yet indicated when it will resume India flights.
Before the second wave this summer, AI had about 40 weekly US nonstops. The number fell to about 10 at the peak of the second wave and the number started rising with the student admission season this fall.
“AI nonstops to US offer double baggage allowance in economy class. Where they lack is in onboard passenger experience. Tackle that and the Tatas have a winner at hand,” said a pilot.
It currently has 23 weekly flights to America. “We are adding three more weekly flights, between Mumbai and Newark, from second week of November. We are awaiting normal flight operation clearance from US airports. So AI will have 26 weekly flights, a number that could have been much higher if we had more Boeing 777s available and had so many of them not been down with maintenance issues,” said officials, adding that out of 16 B777s, nine are available for operations at the moment.
A severe paucity of funds has seen several AI planes grounded due to spare issues. Getting the existing fleet, or newly leased planes, up in the air to mount more flights will be crucial for the Tatas to cash in on the reopening of travel. An airline insider said AI is awaiting “achche din” with the Tatas taking over. “Hopefully with Tatas getting in board, our days of slow/no/bad decision making will be over. As a PSU decision making is much slower due to clearances required. Private airline owners have in pre-pandemic times been known to order planes on SMS during board meetings,” said an insider.
AI is the biggest operator of nonstops between India and the US, followed by United. American Airlines is starting flights here this week. Delta has not yet indicated when it will resume India flights.
Before the second wave this summer, AI had about 40 weekly US nonstops. The number fell to about 10 at the peak of the second wave and the number started rising with the student admission season this fall.
“AI nonstops to US offer double baggage allowance in economy class. Where they lack is in onboard passenger experience. Tackle that and the Tatas have a winner at hand,” said a pilot.
( News Source :Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Rashtra News staff and is published from a timesofindia.indiatimes.com feed.)
