Air India’s non-stop flight to Milan is back on its network map, with the airline resuming the Delhi-Milan service on February 1st. Along with Milan, Air India offered non-stop flights to other European destinations, such as Vienna and Copenhagen, before the pandemic. All of these flights are now coming back as borders become more porous, and Air India finds itself in a strong position fleet-wise.
Delhi-Milan service is back
On February 1st, Air India launched a four-times-a-week non-stop flight from Delhi to Milan. Flight AI137 took off from Delhi slightly behind schedule at 14:58 and landed in Milan at 18:58 local time after flying for 8 hours and 30 minutes.
The carrier will operate this service on Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays, and Mondays. The Delhi-Milan service has a scheduled departure time of 14:20 and an arrival of 18:30. The return flight AI138 will leave Milan at 20:00 on the same day to reach Delhi at 08:00 the next day.
Nipun Aggarwal, Air India’s Chief Commercial Officer, commented,
“With the launch of this flight to Milan, we will be spreading our wings to cover major destinations in Europe and fulfil a key element of our five-year transformation plan, Vihaan.AI, that is to strengthen India’s global network. The introduction of these flights is another step in that journey, in sync with our fleet expansion. We look forward to welcoming guests and sharing Air India’s warm Indian hospitality with them.”
Photo: Vytautas Kielaitis / Shutterstock
Exploring Europe
Air India’s Milan service will soon be followed by non-stop flights from Delhi to Vienna and Copenhagen in the coming weeks. The carrier had to suspend these flights in 2020 due to COVID but is bringing these back to re-establish its footprint in Europe significantly.
For its European flights, Air India relies on its fleet of 27 Boeing 787 Dreamliners featuring 18 business class and 238 economy class seats. The Tata Group-owned carrier will also soon start flying to London Gatwick from Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Goa, and Kochi.
Other Indian airlines are just as keen to cash in on demand for flights to Europe. SpiceJet, too, has started flying scheduled long-haul flights to Rome and Milan from Amritsar. Using its 737 MAX aircraft, the airline makes a technical stopover in Tbilisi in Georgia.
Photo: BoeingMan777 | Shutterstock
After receiving its third Dreamliner on lease last year, Vistara doubled its frequency to Frankfurt to six flights a week. It also offers a daily service from Delhi to London and five weekly flights to Paris on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
IndiGo, too, has been luring passengers by offering convenient flight connections to Europe, including Portugal, Switzerland, France, and Austria via Turkey through its codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines.
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Air India
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- AI/AIC
- Airline Type:
- Full Service Carrier
- Hub(s):
- Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport
- Year Founded:
- 1946
- Alliance:
- Star Alliance
- CEO:
- Campbell Wilson
- Country:
- India
