DELHI- Tata-owned Indian FSC, Air India (AI), is set to restart Delhi-Amsterdam flights after the Dutch government suspended the slots restrictions at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS).
Back in May 2023, Air India announced the DEL to AMS route, indicating that it would be serviced by its Boeing 787-8 aircraft. But in October 2023, the airline announced service suspension due to AMS’s slot constraints.
Air India Restarts Delhi-Amsterdam Flights
Starting from December 17th, the airline is set to resume its four-times-a-week flights from Delhi (DEL) to Amsterdam (AMS).
As per Aviation A2Z sources, the flights will be operational on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
The schedule is as follows:
- Flight AI155 departs from Delhi at 13:00 and arrives in Amsterdam at 17:40.
- Flight AI156 takes off from Amsterdam at 19:45 and lands in Delhi at 08:05 the next day.
Inaugural Flight
Air India’s inaugural flight between Delhi and Amsterdam Took off for the first time on June 11, 2023.
The legacy carrier announced the route back on May 8, 2023. Further, the flight is serviced by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with two cabin classes.
According to Flight Radar 24, the Air India flight AI155 departed from Delhi (DEL) at 1:25 PM IST (7:55 AM UTC). Subsequently, the aircraft covered 6,375 KM and landed at Amsterdam (AMS), Netherlands, at 18:35 Local Time.
The aircraft used by Air India for its Inaugural flight is Boeing 787, having registration VT-NAC. Further, the aircraft is 5.7 years old, and the airline took delivery of it Oct 2017.
Mr. Campbell Wilson, CEO & MD of Air India, expressed his thoughts on the launch of the new Amsterdam route. He stated, “By introducing this non-stop flight to Amsterdam, Air India is expanding its long-haul network and providing more choices for our customers.”
“This, along with the addition of other European routes in recent months and those planned for the future, aligns with our goal of establishing Delhi as a prominent international hub,” added Mr. Wilson.
Cancellation Announcement
Starting from October 27, 2023, Air India will cease operating its route from Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) to AMS. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) winter season for 2023/2024 begins on October 29, 2023, and will run until March 30, 2024.
According to reports from Airport Coordination Netherlands (ACNL), which is responsible for slot coordination at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS), Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM), and Eindhoven Airport (EIN), the total number of available slots at AMS during the summer 2023 season was 303,000. However, ACNL has noted that this number has been reduced to 189,515 for the winter season.
ACNL’s filings further revealed that there was a waitlist for slots at AMS, totaling 22,052 slots, with 18,640 of them being requested for passenger services, while the remaining 3,412 slots were sought after by cargo operators.
As reported earlier by Aviation A2Z, the inaugural flight took off on June 11, 2023, with Air India initially offering four weekly flights between DEL and AMS.
Air India offers a total of 77 weekly non-stop flights between India and Europe. Subsequently providing passengers with increased flexibility and convenience.
Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Join us on Telegram Group for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News.