Air India plans more flights to U.K., U.S.

Proposal to launch 20 additional flights per week to London, Birmingham and San Francisco

Air India on Friday announced plans to launch 20 additional flights per week to London and Birmingham in the U.K. and San Francisco in the U.S.

These flights will be introduced in a phased manner between October and December, the airline said in a statement.

Air India's current schedule of 34 flights every week to the U.K. will now increase to 48 flights with Birmingham receiving an extra five flights per week, including three from Delhi and two from Amritsar. London will get nine additional weekly flights, of which five are from Mumbai, three from Delhi and one from Ahmedabad. As a result, seven Indian cities will now have non-stop Air India flights to the U.K.'s capital.

Flights from India to the U.S. will increase from 34 to 40 per week, which will include thrice-weekly service from Mumbai to San Francisco and resumption of three-times-weekly service from Bengaluru. This means Air India will increase flights to San Francisco from 10 to 16, with non-stop service from Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai.

“Adding frequency and improving connectivity from major Indian cities to more international destinations is a significant focus. It is a clear signal of our intent, and an early step towards a much bigger aspiration,” said Air India’s CEO and MD, Campbell Wilson.