Air India will make a number of changes to existing services, as well as add additional services beginning in the December schedule.
USA services
a) Services to New York JFK will continue to operate daily from Mumbai via London Heathrow, except that the 5x weekly transit stop at Delhi will be eliminated from December 22 due to seasonal fog constraints.
b) Services to Los Angeles will increase to 5x weekly one-stop from Mumbai via Frankfurt with addition of flights on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
c) Services to Chicago O'Hare via Frankfurt will temporarily route via Delhi on Thursdays, but will return to Mumbai nonstop effective December 22. Direct service between Bangalore and Chicago O'Hare via Mumbai and Frankfurt will operate on Mondays and Saturdays.
d) Services to Newark via Paris will continue to operate daily from Mumbai, but the flights will now originate as same-aircraft service from Ahmedabad for all 7x weekly frequencies.
Europe services
a) Services to Frankfurt will increase to 11 weekly operated by Air India, in addition to Lufthansa codeshares. Air India and Lufthansa in partnership will offer a total of 41 weekly nonstop services between the Indian gateways of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore and the German gateways of Frankfurt and Munich.
b) Air India operated services between Delhi and Frankfurt on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays have been retimed as lunchtime departures from Delhi and overnight departures from Frankfurt.
c) Codeshare services with Air France between Delhi and Paris have increased to daily, in addition to Air India's own daily service between Mumbai and Paris.
UK services
a) Codeshare flights operated by Virgin Atlantic will be discontinued from December 1.
b) One additional service on Saturdays between Delhi and London Heathrow will inaugurate on December 4, but will be rerouted as a Mumbai to London Heathrow service from December 22 due to fog. The flight will be operated by a Boeing 747.
c) Five additional services between Mumbai and London Heathrow will be inaugurated to operate on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. These services will operate with Boeing 747s until December 18 and with Boeing 777s from December 20 onwards.
d) One weekly same-aircraft service will be inaugurated between Bangalore and London Heathrow on Thursdays to be operated by a Boeing 747.
e) Recently introduced nonstop service between Ahmedabad and London Heathrow will continue to operate on Fridays and Sundays.
In total Air India will operate 18 weekly services between India and London Heathrow, in addition to 10 weekly services between London Heathrow and the United States (daily to New York JFK and 3x weekly to Chicago O'Hare).
Middle East services
a) Nonstop service between Dubai and Ahmedabad will be operated on Fridays. Air India will continue to offer nonstop and same-aircraft direct services from Dubai to the Indian gateways of Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Lucknow, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Goa.
b) Hajj charters will operate to Jeddah and Medina from the gateways of Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Hyderabad and Nagpur. In partnership with Indian Airlines and Saudi Arabian Airlines, pilgrims will be also be uplifted from Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Guwahati, Srinagar, Patna and Aurangabad.
Domestic services
a) New service will be inaugurated between Bangalore and Chennai.
b) New service will be inaugurated between Hyderabad and Chennai.
c) Additional service will be introduced between Mumbai and Kolkata.
d) A daily flight between Mumbai and Delhi will be introduced from December 22 to accomodate connecting passengers from Delhi affected by fog. The flight will be operated by a mix of Boeing 747, Boeing 777 and Airbus 310 aircraft.
Fleet updates
The Boeing 747-200 registered VT-EFU has recently been scrapped at Mumbai and Boeing 747-200 registered VT-EGB has been withdrawn from service in preparation for scrapping at Mumbai. Airbus 310-300s registered VT-EVG and VT-EVH have been returned to lessors. Boeing 747-400 registered VT-AIF has joined the fleet in October and the first Boeing 777-200ER will enter revenue service from December 20.
Air India's fleet for the December schedule will consist of 11 Boeing 747-400s, 2 Boeing 747-300s, 2 Boeing 747-200s, 1 Boeing 777-200ER and 19 Airbus 310-300s.
USA services
a) Services to New York JFK will continue to operate daily from Mumbai via London Heathrow, except that the 5x weekly transit stop at Delhi will be eliminated from December 22 due to seasonal fog constraints.
b) Services to Los Angeles will increase to 5x weekly one-stop from Mumbai via Frankfurt with addition of flights on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
c) Services to Chicago O'Hare via Frankfurt will temporarily route via Delhi on Thursdays, but will return to Mumbai nonstop effective December 22. Direct service between Bangalore and Chicago O'Hare via Mumbai and Frankfurt will operate on Mondays and Saturdays.
d) Services to Newark via Paris will continue to operate daily from Mumbai, but the flights will now originate as same-aircraft service from Ahmedabad for all 7x weekly frequencies.
Europe services
a) Services to Frankfurt will increase to 11 weekly operated by Air India, in addition to Lufthansa codeshares. Air India and Lufthansa in partnership will offer a total of 41 weekly nonstop services between the Indian gateways of Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore and the German gateways of Frankfurt and Munich.
b) Air India operated services between Delhi and Frankfurt on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays have been retimed as lunchtime departures from Delhi and overnight departures from Frankfurt.
c) Codeshare services with Air France between Delhi and Paris have increased to daily, in addition to Air India's own daily service between Mumbai and Paris.
UK services
a) Codeshare flights operated by Virgin Atlantic will be discontinued from December 1.
b) One additional service on Saturdays between Delhi and London Heathrow will inaugurate on December 4, but will be rerouted as a Mumbai to London Heathrow service from December 22 due to fog. The flight will be operated by a Boeing 747.
c) Five additional services between Mumbai and London Heathrow will be inaugurated to operate on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. These services will operate with Boeing 747s until December 18 and with Boeing 777s from December 20 onwards.
d) One weekly same-aircraft service will be inaugurated between Bangalore and London Heathrow on Thursdays to be operated by a Boeing 747.
e) Recently introduced nonstop service between Ahmedabad and London Heathrow will continue to operate on Fridays and Sundays.
In total Air India will operate 18 weekly services between India and London Heathrow, in addition to 10 weekly services between London Heathrow and the United States (daily to New York JFK and 3x weekly to Chicago O'Hare).
Middle East services
a) Nonstop service between Dubai and Ahmedabad will be operated on Fridays. Air India will continue to offer nonstop and same-aircraft direct services from Dubai to the Indian gateways of Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Lucknow, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Goa.
b) Hajj charters will operate to Jeddah and Medina from the gateways of Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Hyderabad and Nagpur. In partnership with Indian Airlines and Saudi Arabian Airlines, pilgrims will be also be uplifted from Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Guwahati, Srinagar, Patna and Aurangabad.
Domestic services
a) New service will be inaugurated between Bangalore and Chennai.
b) New service will be inaugurated between Hyderabad and Chennai.
c) Additional service will be introduced between Mumbai and Kolkata.
d) A daily flight between Mumbai and Delhi will be introduced from December 22 to accomodate connecting passengers from Delhi affected by fog. The flight will be operated by a mix of Boeing 747, Boeing 777 and Airbus 310 aircraft.
Fleet updates
The Boeing 747-200 registered VT-EFU has recently been scrapped at Mumbai and Boeing 747-200 registered VT-EGB has been withdrawn from service in preparation for scrapping at Mumbai. Airbus 310-300s registered VT-EVG and VT-EVH have been returned to lessors. Boeing 747-400 registered VT-AIF has joined the fleet in October and the first Boeing 777-200ER will enter revenue service from December 20.
Air India's fleet for the December schedule will consist of 11 Boeing 747-400s, 2 Boeing 747-300s, 2 Boeing 747-200s, 1 Boeing 777-200ER and 19 Airbus 310-300s.
