Gurugram: Air India has unveiled plans to optimise its domestic network, focusing on five key metro-to-metro routes using its former Vistara A320neo aircraft. Beginning December 1, 2024, all flights between these major cities will be operated with the airline's best narrowbody aircraft, offering three cabin classes: Business, Premium Economy, and Economy.
The five metro-to-metro routes affected by this new schedule include: Delhi to Mumbai, Delhi to Bengaluru, Delhi to Hyderabad, Mumbai to Bengaluru and Mumbai to Hyderabad, Air India said in a statement.
Flights on these routes will operate under Air India's 'AI' flight numbers, starting with four-digit codes, such as AI2999 from Delhi to Mumbai. The airline has also optimised flight schedules to spread departures throughout the day, ensuring maximum choice and flexibility without reducing frequency. Air India now offers over 1,000 weekly flights on these key routes, including 56 daily flights between Delhi and Mumbai, 36 daily between Delhi and Bengaluru, and 24 daily between Delhi and Hyderabad, among others, the statement added.
Campbell Wilson, CEO & Managing Director of Air India, said, "The merger of Vistara into Air India has unlocked many new opportunities to improve our customer offering. By combining the strengths of both full-service carriers, we are able to consolidate our best narrowbody offering on routes where there is demand for high-frequency, full-service products."
The aircraft deployed on these routes will provide a premium flying experience, with 8 luxurious Business Class seats offering 41 inches of pitch and 7 inches of recline, as well as 24 extra-legroom Premium Economy seats with 33 inches of pitch. Economy Class will feature 132 seats, with 29 inches of pitch, the statement added.
Passengers can expect a full-service experience on these routes, including cabin interiors, complimentary hot meals, lounge access for premium passengers, and convenient flight connections to destinations across the globe. Air India plans to expand this optimised service to more routes in 2025 as the airline inducts new aircraft and completes retrofitting its legacy narrowbody fleet, the statement added.
