Air India will operate a non-stop flight from Delhi to Washington from 7 July 2017. This will be the only direct flight connecting Delhi with Washington with a B777-200LR aircraft. Washington will be Air India’s fifth non-stop destination in USA after New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Chicago (ORD) and San Francisco (SFO), according to an Air India press release on Thursday.
AI 103 will depart from Delhi at 0115 hrs (IST) to reach Washington at 0715 hrs (GMT), while AI 104 will depart from Washington at 1100 hrs (GMT) and land at IGI airport, Delhi, at 1030 +1 hrs (IST). Operating thrice a week on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, the flight will offer a three-cabin configuration, with eight seats in First Class, 35 in Business Class and 195 seats in Economy Class.
The non-stop flight will not only provide convenient connections to Indians based in the Pacific Northwest region, but will also enhance diplomatic relations between the two countries, the AI press release said, adding it will fulfill a “long-standing desire of the people of both countries demanding this connection for a long time”. The direct flight will take around 15 hours and 30 minutes to reach Washington from Delhi. In another development, Air India has been voted as the “Most Trusted Brand” in the Airline category by consumers during the Reader’s Digest “Most Trusted Brand Gold Award 2016”, according to an AI press release.