Air India resumes non-stop New York, Newark flights after easing of airspace curbs
NEW DELHI: Air India has resumed non-stop flights from Delhi and Mumbai to New York and Newark after restrictions on airspace were eased, reducing travel time on the routes by up to five hours.
The airline said on Sunday that all four India-US routes were now operating without a technical stopover. The services had earlier included a halt in Rome for refuelling because of airspace restrictions across parts of the Middle East and the closure of Pakistani airspace.
Air India began operating the non-stop services in the first week of November, using Iraqi airspace, sources told PTI.
"With airspace restrictions eased, Air India has now resumed non-stop operations on all four India-New York routes," the airline said.
With the resumption of direct operations, travel time on flights from Delhi and Mumbai to New York and Newark has fallen to around 17 hours from nearly 22 hours earlier, the airline said.
Air India operates one daily flight from Delhi to New York and four weekly services to Newark, all using Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
From Mumbai, the airline operates daily flights to New York and three weekly services to Newark using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
The closure of Pakistani airspace and restrictions across parts of the Middle East amid regional conflicts had disrupted flight routes between India and North America.
As a result, Air India's flights from Delhi and Mumbai to John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) had to make a technical stop in Rome for refuelling. Earlier, longer routes through Jordan and Egypt had also increased flying time.
Last month, a senior airline official said the restrictions, particularly those linked to the West Asia crisis, had significantly affected operations, with the impact being worse than the previous year.
"The more airspaces are closed, the more southwards flights have to go... the more southwards flights have to go, the more the fuel bill. So, it (airspace curbs) is worse than what we had last year," the official had said.
The airline said on Sunday that all four India-US routes were now operating without a technical stopover. The services had earlier included a halt in Rome for refuelling because of airspace restrictions across parts of the Middle East and the closure of Pakistani airspace.
Air India began operating the non-stop services in the first week of November, using Iraqi airspace, sources told PTI.
"With airspace restrictions eased, Air India has now resumed non-stop operations on all four India-New York routes," the airline said.
With the resumption of direct operations, travel time on flights from Delhi and Mumbai to New York and Newark has fallen to around 17 hours from nearly 22 hours earlier, the airline said.
Air India operates one daily flight from Delhi to New York and four weekly services to Newark, all using Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
From Mumbai, the airline operates daily flights to New York and three weekly services to Newark using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
The closure of Pakistani airspace and restrictions across parts of the Middle East amid regional conflicts had disrupted flight routes between India and North America.
As a result, Air India's flights from Delhi and Mumbai to John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) had to make a technical stop in Rome for refuelling. Earlier, longer routes through Jordan and Egypt had also increased flying time.
Last month, a senior airline official said the restrictions, particularly those linked to the West Asia crisis, had significantly affected operations, with the impact being worse than the previous year.
"The more airspaces are closed, the more southwards flights have to go... the more southwards flights have to go, the more the fuel bill. So, it (airspace curbs) is worse than what we had last year," the official had said.
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