The landing of India’s first-ever A350-900, a widebody aircraft that is bigger and better than Dreamliner B787, at New Delhi IGI Airport marked the dawn of a new era for Air India. The first of 20 such planes to be delivered through 2024 has arrived with the new livery and interior that Air India officially revealed in August 2023. With A350s in the fleet, Air India will be able to compete with Qatar Airways, Emirates Airlines, Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, and United Airlines among the operators of A350s on long-haul international routes. Emirates is awaiting the delivery of 50 A350s in 2024.
PC: Air India
What is the impact of Airbus A350 on Air India flights?
“Air India’s fleet of A350s will change the way Indians travel thousands of miles back home from the United States, Canada, Europe, and New Zealand. Airbus A350-900/1000 is capable of flying nonstop for 16-17 hours covering intercontinental distance of up to 16,000km. Known for offering a great deal of efficiency and comfort, this advanced aircraft is a strategic upgrade to Air India flights between India and USA or any other country,” said Sourav Agarwal, the Editor of Travel Beats.
With more five A350-900 slated to be delivered by March, Air India is likely to elevate its service standards for flights to New Delhi from DC IAD, SFO, NY JFK, and Chicago ORD – which do still have the outdated aircraft with poor amenities. Since these long-haul flights are routed straight over the Hindu Kush range of lofty Himalayan peaks, the aircraft requires certain mechanism for flying at a high altitude over such a critical zone. Airbus A350 ticks all the boxes of technical suitability for this sector. It not only consumes 25% less fuel, but also has higher fuel capacity than any other long-haul aircraft.
Air India A350-900: Classy Interiors, Premium Economy, HD Inflight Screen
The first A350-900 (and the upcoming ones) feature three travel cabins with elegant interiors in Air India’s brand new color palette. Each A350-900 will add 28 luxurious suites with full-flat beds to Air India’s business class flights. 24 Premium Economy seats come with greater recline and extra legroom to elevate comfort on board. The business class seats are upholstered in soothing blue, while burgundy defines the elegance of Air India’s Premium Economy on the A350-900. The Economy travel class has 264 spacious seats.
The A350-900 has all the seats equipped with the Panasonic eX3 in-flight entertainment system comprising a HD screen. The system is loaded with hours of content in both classic and popular categories for all age-groups. Most interestingly, A350-900’s cabin crew will be seen in the brand new uniforms designed by celebrity designer Manish Malhotra, adding to the sophistication of flying Air India later in 2024.
When can you travel on Air India’s A350 flights to/from India?
In January 2024, Air India will induct the first A350-900 into commercial service for short-haul flights so that the cabin and cockpit crew get acclimatized with the new aircraft inside out, before deploying it for long-haul international operations. “We are eagerly looking to book our customers on the A350 for nonstop flights between India and USA later in 2024,” said the chief travel advisor of Indian Eagle, a leading air-ticketing partner of Air India.
My wife and I are excited to hear the arrival of A350 in Air India fleet and eager to fly in it. During our recent travel from Newark, NJ, USA to New Delhi and then to Kolkata in Business Class on November 7, 2023, the experience was not that great because of very old aircraft. Now we are hoping to experience A350 flight when we travel back to Newark in March 11, 2024. Let’s try our luck.
One more request – we the Bengalis from Kolkata would like to have an experience of an Air India flight originating from Kolkata to either Newark or JFK. In other words, a direct flight between New York and Kolkata. If the direct flight is impossible, we can be happy with a similar flight, as it is now, like Hyderabad – Delhi – Chicago. That way at least we don’t have to do customs in Delhi and can go to Kolkata and then do the customs. Thanks
Hi Santanu! As a travel-booking partner of Indians, we understand how inconvenient it may have been for you and our customers. We are all looking forward to having the new aircraft in service on routes between USA and India. However, the induction of A350 aircraft into international operations will take a few months. If you are lucky to travel on an A350 during your return journey to Newark, kindly share your experience with us and other travelers here. Thank you!
I am glad Air India is getting new equipment such as A350. This alone is not a compelling reason to fly AI on international routes. Air India culture has to change. They have to be customer centric with focus on satisfaction, quality of service, politeness, cabin cleanliness, especially lavatories. When Air India can match standards set by Qatar Airlines, Emirates for Singapore Airlines for overall customer satisfaction, that would be the time to try long haul flights.
MY INTERACTION WITH CHAYA WAS FANTASTIC & AWESOME!! THANKS A TON!!