July 07, 2017: State-owned Air India commenced its first flight to Washington DC from New Delhi, which would be its fifth destination in the US.
Air India has deployed its 238-seater Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft to cater to the new direct service. The plane offers eight seats in first class, 35 in business and 195 in economy class.
The launch took place at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in the presence of Charge de Affairs of US Embassy Marykay Loss Carlson, Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani, Commercial Director of Air India Pankaj Shrivastava, among other airline officials.
The occupancy on flights to Washington is at 90 per cent for the month of July, according to an airline spokesperson. The service to the US capital will be offered three times a week.
Apart from Washington, Air India flies to four US airports - New York, Newark, Chicago and San Francisco. While there are daily services available for Newark, New York and Chicago, the Delhi-San Francisco flight is operated six times a week.
The national carrier seeks to expand its network by adding other destinations in the US, such as Los Angeles and Houston.