Mumbai: Air India is set to discontinue its non flights to San Francisco from Mumbai and Bengaluru from March 1. However, the carrier is set to significantly scale up its Delhi operation to San Francisco from the earlier
seven flights to ten flights.
Reason for discontinuation of flights from Mumbai, Bengaluru
According to a TOI report citing an Air India spokesperson, changes to the North America Schedule has been made to "to better deploy capacity and manage rising costs linked to ongoing airspace restrictions."
Earlier in November, Chief Campbell Wilson had said that Air India has taken a hit in travel demand to the US due to various factors, including airspace curbs, but the situation is transitory, and the airline is very confident about the market's long-term prospects. North America is a key international segment for Air India. The carrier operates services to six points in North America, including Newark, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Vancouver and Toronto with 51 weekly flights in one direction. They are operated with Boeing 777s and Airbus A350s. Wilson said that he thinks the situation related to US travel demand is "transitory". "We're still very confident in the long-term prospects of the market. As I say, we've got alternative opportunities to deploy these aircraft. So, we'll just continue to be agile," he added.
What happens to flyers who have already booked their flight in advance?
According to the report, the passengers who have already booked their Bengaluru-San Francisco or Mumbai-San Francisco flight will be re-accommodated to an alternative service or either be offered a full refund.
Air India flight glitch
Earlier today, December 22, a Mumbai-bound Air India flight AI887 returned to Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport minutes after take-off due to a technical issue. The Delhi–Mumbai flight made an emergency landing according to standard operating procedure.
As per an Air India spokesperson, the aircraft (Boeing 777) landed safely at Delhi, and the passengers and crew disembarked. The Boeing 777 suffered a right-side engine issue soon after take-off, reported TOI. Some reports even claimed that the oil pressure dropped significantly due to which it had to return to the Delhi Airport. Prior to that, an Air India flight travelling from Mumbai to Varanasi was forced to make an emergency diversion to Bhubaneswar after deteriorating weather conditions made landing at the destination airport unsafe. The aircraft landed at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) as a precautionary measure.
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