Air India launches A350-900 on Delhi-London route starting September 1

Air India, owned by the Tata Group, will operate its wide-body A350-900 aircraft on the Delhi-London route, offering two daily flights, starting from September 1, according to Air India’s announcement. This move marks the debut of the A350-900 on international long-haul routes.

“The A350-900 will replace the currently deployed Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on 14 of 17 weekly flights. As a result, an additional 336 seats will be available on the Delhi-London Heathrow route each week,” the company states.

Air India announces the introduction of its Premium Economy class on the Delhi-London Heathrow route aboard the A350-900. According to the airline, this new offering will provide passengers with a selection of 24 spacious seats arranged in a 2-4-2 configuration in a dedicated cabin designed for comfort and luxury.

The airline operates 31 weekly flights to London Heathrow—17 from Delhi and 14 from Mumbai. It also flies from Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Goa, and Kochi to London Gatwick with 17 weekly flights, and from Delhi and Amritsar to Birmingham with 6 weekly flights.

This year, Air India started integrating the A350 into its fleet, with six currently in service out of an order for 40.

Campbell Wilson, chief executive officer & managing director, Air India, says: “The deployment of our flagship A350s and the B777s with upgraded cabin interiors to London Heathrow marks a significant milestone for Air India. It demonstrates our commitment to elevating the travel experience of our guests to truly world-class standards and to going beyond just meeting customer expectations as we continue to renew our fleet.”

"With our industry-leading cabin products on the A350 including a new Premium Economy experience and a host of new on board enhancements rolling out, we are confident that these daily flights between India and London Heathrow will soon be the preferred choice for travellers,” Wilson added.

On June 19, Air India unveiled a three-class configuration for its newly inducted narrow-body aircraft. The A320neo aircraft now offer new Business, Premium Economy, and Economy classes on domestic and short-haul international routes. The refitted A320neo planes, VT-RTW and VT-RTZ, feature 8 Business seats, 24 Premium Economy seats, and 132 Economy seats.

Air India plans to extend the three-class configuration across its entire full-service narrow-body fleet over the next year. Existing aircraft are being progressively refitted, and new aircraft will be delivered with the new configuration, enhancing the Air India experience.

“The introduction of a three-class cabin to Air India’s narrowbody fleet and commencement of interior refits are important steps in the journey of enhancing the flying experience. The upgrade of the narrowbody fleet, which operates on domestic and short-haul international network, complements the upgraded widebody experience now available on our A350 fleet and new B777s, and on all other widebodies as they are refitted over the next two years,” Wilson added.

According to the Tata-owned airline, a unique feature of Air India’s A320neo aircraft is the mood lighting, which has preset illumination settings for take-off, landing, meal service, and even to celebrate India's national days.