Air India is in the process of reinventing itself, after being privatized. This is quite a project, and part of this includes taking delivery of 470 new aircraft over the coming years, in order to modernize the fleet.
Air India has been acquiring new Airbus A350s, which are the carrier’s new flagship long haul aircraft. For several months, these planes exclusively operated domestic flights. As of May 1, 2024, the airline launched its first international route with the jet, and now the second international route has been announced.
In this post:
Air India will fly A350 from Delhi & Mumbai to Dubai
Since late 2023, Air India has taken delivery of five Airbus A350-900s. Through the end of April 2024, these planes exclusively operated domestic sectors, for crew familiarization and to work out any kinks. Specifically, they primarily flew between Bangalore (BLR), Chennai (MAA), Hyderabad (HYD), and Mumbai (BOM).
While it’s great to experience the plane on a domestic flight, many have been looking forward to these planes flying internationally, as it’s where the added comfort makes more of a difference.
As of May 1, 2024, Air India launched daily A350 flights between Delhi (DEL) and Dubai (DXB). Specifically, the Airbus A350-900 is operating the following service, which was previously operated by the Boeing 787-8:
AI995 Delhi to Dubai departing 8:45PM arriving 10:45PM
AI996 Dubai to Delhi departing 12:15AM arriving 4:55AM
At 1,360 miles, this flight is blocked at 3hr30min westbound and 3hr10min eastbound.
It has now been announced that as of June 1, 2024, Air India will launch daily A350 flights between Mumbai (BOM) and Dubai (DXB). The Airbus A350-900 will operate the following service, which is currently operated by the Boeing 787-8:
AI983 Mumbai to Dubai departing 8:25PM arriving 9:55PM
AI984 Dubai to Mumbai departing 11:40PM arriving 4:20AM (+1 day)
At 1,198 miles, this flight is blocked at 3hr westbound and 3hr10min eastbound.
I assume the airline will be announcing more international routes soon, since these two routes won’t even fully utilize two A350s, and the airline now has five of these jets. I believe the plans are to operate the planes on long haul international flights as of this summer, possibly to Europe.
Dubai seems like an appropriate first destination for the A350. For years, the Gulf carriers have basically been the de facto national carriers of India. Now Air India is fighting back, and will fly a plane to Emirates’ hub that might just have a better product than what Emirates offers. I imagine the route selection here is no coincidence.
What to expect on the Air India A350
Air India’s Airbus A350-900s feature a much improved passenger experience, though the first six planes don’t have Air India’s new signature interiors. That’s because these planes were initially intended for Aeroflot, but due to sanctions, the airline couldn’t taken delivery of them. As a result, Air India was able to acquire these jets with little advance notice.
This also means that Air India is inheriting the Aeroflot interiors that were planned for these aircraft initially, with only minor changes being made to the cabin finishes, to reflect Air India’s branding.
These planes feature 316 seats, including 28 business class seats, 24 premium economy seats, and 264 economy seats. I’ve flown a Turkish Airlines Airbus A350-900 that was also initially intended for Aeroflot, which gives you a sense of what to expect.
In business class, these planes feature the Collins Aerospace Horizon product, which is a staggered 1-2-1 configuration, with direct aisle access and doors at each seat. I rank this as being among the world’s best business class seats.
Meanwhile in premium economy, seats are in a 2-4-2 configuration.
As you’d expect, economy is in a 3-3-3 configuration, which is standard for the jet.
As a reminder, below is what Air India’s new business class will look like, once the airline starts taking delivery of jets that weren’t intended for other airlines.
Is it time to review the Air India A350?
It’s fascinating to watch Air India’s rebirth, and so far I’m very impressed by the initiatives we’re seeing. Some people have been asking why I haven’t reviewed the Air India A350 yet, and that’s because I’ve been wanting to wait for the plane to make its international debut, once Air India is offering its new soft product.
So with Air India now operating flights to Dubai, is this the chance to finally fly the airline? I know Air India plans to roll out its new soft product (amenity kits, tableware, etc.) as of mid-2024, coinciding with more international A350 service.
I’m not sure if this new soft product is being offered on the Dubai service, or if Air India will wait until the plane actually launches long haul international flights. I’m inclined to try to fly the A350 on a long haul flight, where the airline also offers amenity kits, pajamas, and more. Hopefully the first long haul flight is announced soon.
Bottom line
Air India has started flying the Airbus A350 on international routes. The plane is operating between Delhi and Dubai since May 1, 2024, and will begin operating between Mumbai and Dubai as of June 1, 2024. With the airline now having five A350s in its fleet, these should be the first of several routes to get this new experience.
What do you make of Air India’s first international routes?
Interesting that they are utilizing the aircraft on the work shuttle to Dubai - I wonder what the load factor is for the premium cabins - the interior looks great
Haven’t seen any real improvement with AI since Tata - not sure who would say that? Their COO said 90% of their 787’s had been fixed as of July 2023 which is not true. 2 years to fix the interior of 27 odd 787’s and nothing as happened . Not optimistic about AI at all.
With basically red-eye departure and arrival times, that does not seem a good start to international services.
I will wait until they stare doing Europe flights in the aircraft they have actually ordered, with civilized flight times.
I'm guessing the initial 'international' flights are with an eye to
ferrying Indian guest workers to and from the Gulf states, who wouldn't be over-particular about flight times.
Looking forward to this.. about to hit Gold status on SingaporeAir and would like to rack up miles on Air India
Wonder why this was decided (and in direct competition of ME3) over using the new fleet for US or London routes. Impact would be much bigger with a JFK/DEL in seats that might be as good as the gulf carriers without the transit stop.
I'm Sure i read somewhere that Air India were Going to have a First class section on these planes?
Only on upcoming A350s, not on Aeroflot aircraft, their new first class is just an upfront section of 4 suits or seats, the same business product in a different color scheme. Not very sure if they'll add different details, more legroom or if they'll add a bigger flatscreen on this section. From whats it's been promoted you can only see the First Class cabin is a regular business seat with a different color scheme. Maybe...
Only on upcoming A350s, not on Aeroflot aircraft, their new first class is just an upfront section of 4 suits or seats, the same business product in a different color scheme. Not very sure if they'll add different details, more legroom or if they'll add a bigger flatscreen on this section. From whats it's been promoted you can only see the First Class cabin is a regular business seat with a different color scheme. Maybe they'll add a few more details to differentiate both products. It seems this Air India revamp will fall short, until now they're not really stepping up their game, it will probably take them years to get there, buy for now all they have to offer is a tacky colorful livery that doesn't represent India as a powerhouse, a few new aircraft intended for a banned airline, and a few announcements of future plans, nothing really oustanding.
Any change is good, this is a good start for an airline with such a tainted reputation but there isn't anything amazing about new Air India for now.
That’s good news. When Air India starts direct flights to LAX?
It is just a matter of time before we see broken seats, non-functioning screen, horrible in-flight entertainment choices, shabby interior and dirty toilets.
Air India should spend more money on maintaining interiors of both new and old air crafts.
That's the problem, those passengers will ruin it for AI.
Indigo and Vistara seem to be doing fine, so I don't see why Air India is doomed to fail. I would wait a couple of years and see.
Airindia service I request to connect TRZ.
Thiruchirapally International Airport india TRZ.
Can you stop being annoying?
You as well?
Oh, that sounds a winnner~ not!
Demand illa thambi (There's no demand, bro). First, they need to connect higher demand places like Bangalore (to East Coast US), Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata. Then, it's possible with larger Tier 2 cities like Kochi, Trivandrum, or even Coimbatore. Trichy is FAR down that list.
Why not direct from SFO to Hyderabad
With a flight to Delhi, they have connecting traffic that can create a demand increase and higher profit margins. With Hyderabad, they don't have an established connection network that would have had the same effect on their business. I also don't think they'll develop it in the future, with Bangalore being established as the South Indian gateway, while Chennai maintains the backup slot with connectivity to most surrounding areas (like Sri Lanka, Singapore, even Dubai).
With a flight to Delhi, they have connecting traffic that can create a demand increase and higher profit margins. With Hyderabad, they don't have an established connection network that would have had the same effect on their business. I also don't think they'll develop it in the future, with Bangalore being established as the South Indian gateway, while Chennai maintains the backup slot with connectivity to most surrounding areas (like Sri Lanka, Singapore, even Dubai).
Not sure what the DEL-DXB will provide anymore than BLR-DEL ...Another 2 hours in the air ????
I don't think the airport has any bearing on the performance of the craft and the crew within.
If we have to evaluate how a long distance route is managed, then the best judgement would spring from a US route.
Air India is majorly missing out on the revenues from the USA and Canada. It...
Not sure what the DEL-DXB will provide anymore than BLR-DEL ...Another 2 hours in the air ????
I don't think the airport has any bearing on the performance of the craft and the crew within.
If we have to evaluate how a long distance route is managed, then the best judgement would spring from a US route.
Air India is majorly missing out on the revenues from the USA and Canada. It needs to start services from at least top 6-7-8 cities of the US and the top 3 cities from Canada.
Hmm, significant rumour has it that "one of the very early" deployments of the new AI (Air India) A350's will be on the MEL (Melbourne, VIC) route, followed by SYD.
Just a hint ... both services are currently B787's, so the move to the larger A350-9 provides an enhancement of product as well as an easy way to increase capacity on two relatively new routes.
Here’s hoping!! I’m flying Sydney to Delhi in June then on to Frankfurt on vistara. All on one aeroplan booking.
Would be keen to read a side by side review by Ben of these airlines.
When is the Air India flight to ATLANTA starting ?
Air India's challenge will be the huge variety of onboard products it has as it rapidly grows its fleet.
They will reconfigure these planes to AI's new standard for the A350 but it will take time as we are seeing w/ every other airline.
Please take care of flights from SFO (they could really use these new ones)
The new planes / refurbished planes are past due. Air India isn't going to be competing with Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways. The ME3 airlines do not have a captive audience near the size of Air India. I flew the BOM-DEL-ORD route in first last week; and Air India is best suited to the masses in India. The Indian components of the flight were very good. The Indian staff appeared sincerly interested in the flight...
The new planes / refurbished planes are past due. Air India isn't going to be competing with Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways. The ME3 airlines do not have a captive audience near the size of Air India. I flew the BOM-DEL-ORD route in first last week; and Air India is best suited to the masses in India. The Indian components of the flight were very good. The Indian staff appeared sincerly interested in the flight and the passengers on the flight. The Indian food was wonderful. The staff insisted I try the Western options also but the Western options were not wonderful.
Plenty of opportunities for improvement though. The old planes are really old and the interior isn't well maintained. The entertainment system is lacking. No Wi-Fi. The security and immigration at the Indian airports is problematic. I don't forsee transit from North American or Europe via BOM or DEL.
I flrst flew from NRT to BOM via ANA business class and noticed the very loud mass of Indian passengers on one side of the gate area and the very quiet mass of Japanese passengers on the other side of the gate area. The cultural differences cannot be discounted.
I think Ben more meant that they want to compete against the ME3 specifically for Indian travellers. There are e a significant segment of the Indian population that will use the ME3 , especially Emirates, as the standard choice for flights to Europe and the east coast of the US and it's these passengers (often those willing to spend more) that they need/want to turn into Air India flyers
How is any significant market in India "captive"... particularly in regard to AI?
The last paragraph, 100% correct! Add to that the line of wheelchairs those Indian passengers use to board first -- not only crazy, but downright scam!
I get where a lot of these passengers come from - not saying I agree with them, but accessibility needs to improve. Many of these passengers are flying to visit their family that is settled abroad now (on visitors visas), but did not have a need to learn English while in India (due to the nature of work). What the children based in the US think is that using wheelchair services means that for their...
I get where a lot of these passengers come from - not saying I agree with them, but accessibility needs to improve. Many of these passengers are flying to visit their family that is settled abroad now (on visitors visas), but did not have a need to learn English while in India (due to the nature of work). What the children based in the US think is that using wheelchair services means that for their 60+-year-old mother with a very limited English proficiency, at least her legs will get some rest and she won't get lost. Not many airports are offering the accompaniment (meet-and-greet) service that used to be offered, even at a cost.
This I noticed too. I don't think the idea of India as hub or transit point is so appealing for these very reasons, there's big idiosyncratic and cultural differences. Realizing all the inequalities and cultural attitudes in India was a huge shock to me, beautiful country with a beautiful history but the cultural differences are shocking.
Let's give a warm welcome to these new seat. By inviting that guy to pee on everyone.
While this is a positive step, hope AI does something about its horrible lounges such as in DEL and in JFK (Only ones ive been to) if it wants to compete with ME3. Just a great hard/soft product onboard isn't enough.
The refurbishment of the DEL lounge has already started. The DEL lounge was not so bad. It was definitely a few shades better than the tired T5 lounges BA provides at LHR. The food offered was amongst the best i have encountered. But now they are redoing it.
The JFK lounge was one of the worst lounges. But the food and beverage offerings have been substantially upgraded. Word is they are going to redo it...
The refurbishment of the DEL lounge has already started. The DEL lounge was not so bad. It was definitely a few shades better than the tired T5 lounges BA provides at LHR. The food offered was amongst the best i have encountered. But now they are redoing it.
The JFK lounge was one of the worst lounges. But the food and beverage offerings have been substantially upgraded. Word is they are going to redo it as well. The interior designers for that were hired approx 6 months ago.
I was just in the JFK lounge this week (through priority pass), not sure what your talking about "substantially upgraded" it was all the same
The food and beverages are a lot better than they used to be, pre-pandemic.
I kinda like the inherited Aeroflot interior better than the planned Air India design.
Airlines are going too bland on interiors these days. Everything is white or gray. India is a vibrant, colorful place, and the outside of their planes reflect this. The cabin finishes should as well. One thinks of the bold (but not typically garish) interiors of Thai, Hawaiian, and Air Tahiti Nui. Even United's Polaris Blue makes a statement.
The colour tones for the cabin on the aircraft intended for Aeroflot have been changed. I flew the inaugural AI flight between on the A350 BLR and BOM. The neutral tone looks nice and has a soft pinkish hue with adds a hint of colour.
Thel local travellers will undoubtably all add their own splash of colour to the interiors. May be hard to scrub off thought!
It was talked about previously that Air India's first long haul route will be to the US somewhere. To say that AI’s product is/or might be better than Emirates really caught my interest. This is easily one of the most anticipated airline rehab’s of the current era. It is highly anticipated as to what the airline’s interiors/cabin will look like, feel like and the service offered aboard.
Why DEL, I guess the 350s are based at BLR.
You could review it from DXB to DEL, and then onward to Europe. That way you would be able to experience both their regional soft product and their long haul soft product, both of which I think would be of value to us readers.
Lucky, hope/expect you'll review asap. Looks promising.
I have flown J a few times with AI on DXB - DEL/BOM routes and they never provide their amenity kits on this short route as it is practically 3 hours. It is usually a blanket and a pillow, and slippers on request.
Might have to wait few more months for them to announce some European routes before you are able to give it a true review.
From the 1st of Sep it stops operating DEL-DXB, so that’s when one can assume it will operated on long haul international flights.