Air India announces its first non-stop flight between Mumbai-San Francisco
Air India, now a Tata Group business, has been making moves to return to its lost glory. The airline has now announced its first direct, non-stop flight between Mumbai and San Francisco. The flight was inaugurated virtually by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Air India CEO Campbell Wilson also joined the inauguration virtually.
Why does this story matter?
When Tata acquired an Air India knee-deep in losses, at least some would have doubted how the country's business royalty aimed to transform the airline it once owned. Since then, the company has made an aggressive push to bring Air India back to the top. Tata Group hasn't left any door unopened to realize its goal of making Air India the country's premier carrier.
The flight will operate 3 times per week
The Air India flight between Mumbai and San Francisco will be operated thrice a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The company will use the newly inducted Boeing 777-200LR for the long-distance trip. This makes the airline's total number of non-stop India-US flights 40 per week. Earlier this month, the airline started its thrice-a-week flight from Bengaluru to San Francisco.
Airline announced future services to New York, Frankfurt, Paris
Air India's India-US non-stop flights as of now are from Mumbai to Newark, from Delhi to New York, Newark, Washington DC, San Francisco, and Chicago, and from Bengaluru to San Francisco. The company announced that the new Mumbai-San Francisco route will be followed by Mumbai- New York City (JFK), Mumbai-Frankfurt, and Mumbai-Paris.
Scindia lauded Air India's contribution to India's civil aviation industry
Speaking on the occasion, Scindia said India's civil aviation sector "is on the cusp of transformation." "Air India has played a significant role in the sector's transformation in the past and will continue to contribute to the growth of the industry," the union minister added. Maharashtra CM Shinde lauded the flight to San Francisco. He added that he is awaiting services to other cities.
