Air India to deploy A350 planes on Delhi-London route from Sep 1

New Delhi: Air India will start operating its wide-body A350-900 aircraft on the Delhi-London route with two daily flights from September 1.

The flights will introduce the plane on the international long-haul route as Air India revamps and expands its operations to strengthen its presence in international and domestic segments.

“The A350-900 will replace the currently deployed Boeing 777-300 ER and Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on 14 of 17 weekly flights. As a result, an additional 336 seats will be available on the Delhi-London Heathrow route each week,” the airline said in a release on Thursday.

Besides, the airline will introduce premium economy class seats in the A350-900 planes operating on the Delhi-London Heathrow route.

Starting September 1, Air India will operate two daily flights between the national capital and London Heathrow using the A350-900 aircraft.

The airline started operating the A350-900 on the international route between Delhi and Dubai on May 1.

The Tata Group-owned airline operates 31 weekly flights to London Heathrow—17 from Delhi and 14 from Mumbai. It also flies from Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Goa, and Kochi to London Gatwick, with 17 weekly flights on this route.

Besides, the carrier operates six weekly flights to Birmingham from Delhi and Amritsar.

Air India started inducting the A350 planes this year, which are also used for domestic flights. The airline has ordered 40 A350 planes, and 6 of them are in its fleet.

“The deployment of our flagship A350s and the B777s with upgraded cabin interiors to London Heathrow marks a significant milestone for Air India,” Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said.