Air India has resumed non-stops services between Mumbai and New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport, as reports suggest a major order is pending.
The JFK service was stopped in early 2019, and its resumption on a daily basis gives Air India three non-stop routes to the USA from Mumbai, says the carrier. Air India also operates non-stop from Mumbai to Newark and San Francisco.
The service will be operated with Boeing 777-200LRs. Overall, Air India now has 47 non-stops per week to the USA, including services from Delhi to Chicago, New York, Newark, and Washington DC. In addition to Mumbai, San Francisco is also served from Delhi and Bengaluru.
“A key element of Air India’s Vihaan.AI transformation is considerably improving connectivity between India’s major cities and major global destinations,” says chief executive Campbell Wilson.
“Adding this new service from Mumbai to New York JFK, following December’s launch of non-stop flights from Mumbai to San Francisco, affirms our commitment to develop a major international hub in India’s commercial capital. With the opening of this route, Air India will offer 47 nonstop flights available each week between India and the United States, with a further 14 serving Canada every week.”
Separately, recent media reports have suggested that Air India is on the verge of placing a major order with Airbus and Boeing. In January, Wilson himself said that the airline was finalising a “historic” order.
Reuters recently reported that the order comprises 210 A320neos and 40 A350s, in addition to 190 737 Max jets, 20 787s, and 10 777Xs.
If an order is indeed imminent, it is possible that it could be announced at the Aero India Airshow, which is taking place in Bengaluru this week.
