Air India has restored non-stop flights between New York and two Indian cities, Delhi and Mumbai.
The airline announced this on November 15.
Non-stop means the plane flies the whole way without landing for a refuelling stop.
Until now, these flights stopped in Rome to refuel. The stop was needed because some airspace was closed.
Airspace is the sky above a country, and each country decides who can fly through it.
Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian airlines in April last year.
Later, restrictions in parts of the Middle East, during the ongoing Iran-US war, also changed flight routes between India and North America.
Key points
- Air India has restored non-stop flights from Delhi and Mumbai to New York.
- Travel time has fallen from about 22 hours to about 17 hours.
- The change follows the reopening of restricted airspace. Pakistan's airspace remains closed.
- Air India flies one daily flight each from Delhi and Mumbai to JFK.
So why does this matter for travellers?
The trip that once took around 22 hours now takes about 17 hours. That is up to five hours saved in the air.
hours
Graphic: News Anek, from the facts in this report
For a family or a student travelling to the US, that means less time lost in transit.
The airline says the change applies to all four India to New York routes. Non-stop flights are now back on every one of them.
Which flights are running now?
Air India runs one daily flight each from Delhi and Mumbai to John F Kennedy International Airport, known as JFK.
It also flies four flights a week from Delhi and three a week from Mumbai to Newark Liberty International Airport.
Both airports serve New York.
The planes differ by route.
Delhi flights use the Airbus A350-900, with 28 business class suites that have full-flat beds, 24 premium economy seats and 264 economy seats.
Premium economy sits between economy and business class.
Mumbai flights use the Boeing 777-300ER.
These have eight first class suites with privacy sliding doors, 40 flat-bed business class seats and 280 economy seats.
Is there a separate flight problem in the US?
Yes, but it is a separate issue from Air India's routes.
On November 13, the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, the US aviation regulator, ordered a nationwide ground stop.
A ground stop means departures are halted.
The ground stop followed communication problems in the air traffic control system.
It lasted more than four hours and was lifted on Friday night, US time.
Officials expected airline schedules to return to normal by the end of Sunday.
Startup Story
The story so far
- The problem: Closed airspace forced Air India to add a refuelling stop in Rome on its New York flights.
- The turn: Reopened airspace let the airline drop the Rome stop and fly non-stop again.
- Now: All four India to New York routes are non-stop, cutting travel time by up to five hours.
How it makes money
Airlines earn money by selling seats on their flights. Shorter, non-stop routes make the journey more useful for travellers. No fare or revenue figures are given here.
One lesson
Rules outside your control can change quickly, so keep a backup plan for routes and costs.
The numbers
| Travel time before | around 22 hours (Source: Air India) |
|---|---|
| Travel time now | approximately 17 hours (Source: Air India) |
This is general information from news reports, not financial or investment advice.
