There has been a lot going on with Air India over the past months. Last year the airline placed a massive order for new lanes at the Paris air show with both manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus. However, since then announcements haven’t been as flamboyant but nevertheless a lot has been going on. The airline has been working on its merger with the other TATA owned brand, Vistara, while also working on a fleet renovation. Fleet renovation which saw the Indian airline finally receive its very first Airbus A350-900 in the final days of 2023. Now the airline has 6 of the type and is ready to also use them on a flagship route.
When and Which Flights Will get The Upgrade?
So, let’s start by talking about the flight that will get these new planes and starting when. Air India plans to introduce the new A350-900s on one of the longest routes in its network: Delhi to New York JFK.
This will be the first time these planes will get a run for their money. As currently they are only flying domestic routes between India’s largest cities with the occasional flight to Dubai. Only in September will they first leave the region with the operating twice daily flights to London Heathrow.
This is not at all strange. Airlines often prefer to use new aircraft types on shorter routes to get crew accustomed to the systems and procedures on more frequent services before flying on long and ultra-long-range flights.
The date for the first Air India A350-900s flying a ULR flight is November 1st 2024. From that day onwards, the Indian flag carrier will switch out its Boeing 777-300ER with the new ultra-modern A350-900s.
Just a few short months later, on January 2nd 2025, the other New York area intercontinental airport, Newark Liberty (EWR) will see the new A350s.
Summing that all up:
- Delhi – New York JFK (DEL-JFK) AI101 – Daily Flight – served by Air India A350-900s starting November 1st 2024.
- Delhi – New York (EWR) AI105 – 5x Weekly – served by Air India A350-900s starting January 2nd 2025.
| Flight Number | Departure Airport | Airport Code | Departure Time | Arrival Airport | Airport Code | Arrival Time | A350 Launch Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | AI101 | Delhi | DEL | 02:20 | New York | JFK | 07:35 | November 1st 2024 |
| AI102 | New York | JFK | 12:30 | Delhi | DEL | 11:40+1 | November 1st 2024 |
| Flight Number | Departure Airport | Airport Code | Departure Time | Arrival Airport | Airport Code | Arrival Time | A350 Launch Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI105 | Delhi | DEL | 04:00 | New York | EWR | 09:10 | January 2nd 2025 |
| AI106 | New York | EWR | 11:15 | Delhi | DEL | 11:30+1 | January 2nd 2025 |
About the New Air India A350s
A lot is new on the Air India A350-900s compared to the older Boeing 777s currently flying the Delhi New York sectors. The cabins in all classes are a major upgrade from prior versions present on current long-range used planes.
For starters, the business class seats offer much greater privacy. They now have their own individual privacy door that completely encloses the passenger’s space. The seat itself is the state-of-the-art Collins Aerospace Horizon model which transforms into a fully flat bed for optimal rest. IFE is powered by the new Panasonic eX3 system on new improved HD screens.
The soft product has also been spruced up. New chinaware, tableware, glassware, bedding, and amenity kits are now offered aboard flights.
A New Phase for Air India – Cutting Out the Middleman
All these improvements Air India is introducing to its fleet and service is all part of a much bigger plan. India is one of the largest airline destinations in the world. There are huge communities of expats all over the world that regularly go back to their home country to visit friends and relatives. Until now the weakness of the Indian flag carrier has allowed other airlines, what we could refer to as middlemen, to fill the void. Those airlines are the Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad of this world. That base much of their strategy on offering worldwide onwards travel from their hubs to India generated traffic.
The plan and long-term goal for Air India is to reclaim as much of that traffic from foreign carriers by offering high quality, convenient, non-stop services to major destinations all over the world. The airline’s future success mainly depends upon its capability to cut out the middleman.