Air India restores non-stop New York flights from Delhi, Mumbai; travel time cut by 5 hours

Air India has restored non-stop flight operations connecting Delhi and Mumbai with New York after previously restricted airspace reopened, allowing the airline to discontinue technical stops in Rome that had been introduced for refuelling.

The restoration of services across all four India-New York routes will reduce travel time to New York by up to five hours, with flights that previously took around 22 hours now taking approximately 17 hours, Air India said in a statement on November 15.

Also Read: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blames FAA nationwide ground stop on ‘contractor error or faulty equipment’

Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian-registered and Indian-operated aircraft in April last year. Subsequently, restrictions across parts of the Middle East amid the ongoing Iran-US war had further affected flight routings between India and North America.

Air India's services from Delhi and Mumbai to New York's John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) had been operating with technical stops in Rome for refuelling.

While the Pakistan airspace remains closed, the opening of Iraqi skies has reduced travel time to Delhi and Mumbai to New York, HT has learnt.

Air India currently operates one daily flight each between Delhi and Mumbai and JFK. It also operates four flights per week between Delhi and Newark and three flights per week between Mumbai and Newark.

Also Read: US's longest aircraft stoppage in 25 years: Why a problem on the ground affected flights thousands of miles away

What caused the US nationwide flight disruption?

The restoration of Air India's non-stop services comes amid a separate aviation disruption in the United States, where the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a nationwide ground stop on November 13 following communications problems in the air traffic control system.

The ground stop lasted more than four hours and was lifted around 8:15 pm ET on Friday, allowing domestic flight departures to resume.

According to AP, the disruption occurred while a contractor was replacing a section of the air traffic control system's old copper wiring with new fibre wiring at a remote location. The work reportedly caused a router to overload the system, resulting in intermittent disruptions to communications and radar feeds.

More than 6,400 of the approximately 41,000 flights scheduled for Saturday had been cancelled by Saturday night, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware. More than 800 flights scheduled for Sunday had also been cancelled.

Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford said the system was stable and that officials expected airline schedules to return to normal by the end of Sunday.

A Bloomberg report described the disruption faced by passengers at airports across the US, with travellers stranded at terminals and aboard aircraft as they waited for updates. The FAA lifted the ground stop just over four hours after it began, but the disruption continued to affect passengers trying to reach their destinations.

Also Read: US lifts ground stop after thousands of US flights halted, but disruptions may last

Air India's aircraft and onboard services

Flights from Delhi to JFK and Newark are operated using Air India's Airbus A350-900 aircraft. These feature 28 Business Class suites with full-flat beds, 24 Premium Economy seats and 264 Economy Class seats.

Services from Mumbai to JFK and Newark are operated using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which feature eight First Class suites with sliding privacy doors, 40 flat-bed Business Class seats and 280 Economy Class seats.

Air India said the restoration of non-stop services, alongside its upgraded aircraft and cabin products, would strengthen its offering in the India-US market and provide passengers with greater convenience and connectivity.