GURUGRAM- Tata-owned Air India (AI) has unveiled intentions to include seven new or previously served airports into its network for the year 2024.
It’s worth noting that the absence of certain airports, such as the frequently mentioned Boston, in this announcement doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t be added; the details on such additions are yet to be revealed.
Air India New Flights
The information about the planned airports was initially shared in a swiftly deleted tweet on X by JetArena, a reputable and prolific commentator on Indian aviation.
This announcement coincides with Air India’s reception of another Boeing 777-300ER (registered as OE-IUE, soon to be VT-AEP) and the imminent entry into service of its first A350 scheduled for January 22nd.
There is an expectation that services to Dallas Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Rome, Seattle, and Zurich will be initiated. Nevertheless, there is currently no publicly disclosed schedule for when these routes will be officially announced or become operational.
It is assumed that these flights would likely operate from Delhi, which serves as Air India’s primary hub.
Based on booking data, all five destinations had approximately 47,000 to 116,000 roundtrip point-to-point passengers to and from Delhi in 2019, and some of them have experienced substantial growth in the past year.
Notably, the three locations in the United States rank among the top five largest unserved North American markets from Delhi.
According to Cirium data, Air India operated regular services to Los Angeles (via Frankfurt) in 2008, to Rome between 2014 and 2021, and to Zurich in 2004. There was a public announcement in 2023 about the airline’s intention to resume services to Los Angeles.
Is Dallas Possible?
In a straight-line distance, the Delhi-Dallas route would span an extensive 8,186 miles (13,173 km). This would position it as Air India’s third-longest non-stop route, following Bengaluru-San Francisco and Mumbai-San Francisco, covering approximately 6% more distance than Delhi-San Francisco.
It’s important to note that real-world flight paths may lead to variations in these figures.
According to booking data, the point-to-point market for Dallas-Delhi had around 47,000 roundtrip passengers in 2019. Seattle had a larger market at approximately 67,000 passengers, while Los Angeles notably surpassed both with around 116,000 passengers.
In terms of point-to-point traffic, all these destinations have a solid foundation for growth, with the potential for additional transit traffic. I anticipate that the Dallas route might operate three times a week.
However, given its considerable length and potential high temperatures during summer, there could be payload restrictions affecting its commercial performance.
New Asia Flights
Next, there are two anticipated international additions in Asia: Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur, both of which were previously part of Air India’s network. The Indonesian capital had regular flights (via Singapore) until 2008 using the A310 aircraft, as depicted below.
Mumbai, Chennai, and Delhi were included in the previous services, with only Mumbai being part of the network in the last two years.
Although Mumbai has a smaller point-to-point market than Delhi, its geographical location makes it more suitable for connections. It will be intriguing to observe which one becomes a reality.
The Malaysian capital was also served by Air India’s own equipment, primarily the A310, until 2008. Subsequently, from 2008 to 2022, services were operated by Air India Express.
While Chennai was understandably Air India’s primary market to Kuala Lumpur, with some flights via Singapore, the question arises: will it be Delhi or Mumbai this time? According to 2019 data, the point-to-point market in Delhi was over twice the size of Mumbai.
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