A sales campaign launched by Airbus in 2022 finally culminated with Air India taking delivery of the airline’s first A350-900 aircraft in December 2023. Since then, the airline has received the initial batch of six A350-900 aircraft. Air India operates the A350s on domestic routes apart from one daily rotation to Dubai from Delhi and Mumbai each.

Air India will operate flights to London Heathrow with the A350-900 from September 1, 2024.

Air India has announced that it will deploy the A350-900 aircraft on international long-haul flights. The first sector where Air India will take the aircraft abroad will be Delhi—London Heathrow and back, effective September 1, 2024, twice daily.

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

With the deployment of the A350-900 to London Heathrow in September, Air India will have upgraded 90% of all its flights to London Heathrow.

Air India to operate a one-off flight to London Gatwick with A350 in July 2024

Air India is taking its A350 to the biennial Farnborough Airshow, which will be held between July 22-26, 2024. The airline will ferry the aircraft from India to the UK for this event later this month. Usually, this would have been an empty aircraft, but given Air India already has an established infrastructure at Gatwick, they are instead operating this ferry flight as a commercial operation. This was first picked up by Network Thoughts.

The outbound flight from India operates as AI 141. It departs New Delhi at 3:50 p.m. on July 20, 2024, and arrives at London Gatwick at 8:45 p.m. on the same day. As you can see, the price is a full 40% cheaper than other flights operating to London Heathrow, so if you are okay travelling to LGW, you should consider this flight.

The return flight will be operated from LGW to DEL on July 24, 2024, as AI 148. The flight departs London at 9:45 PM and arrives in Delhi at 11:00 AM on July 25, 2024. This flight is a couple of 100 pounds cheaper, just like the outbound.

Why London Gatwick? It is easier to procure slots, and operating this flight to Gatwick won’t affect the India—UK Bilateral Air Services Agreement. Air India will be able to defray some of the costs of their ferry flight and expose some customers to their new product. This should be over and above any consideration that Air India will receive towards having their aircraft stationed at LGW for the airshow by the OEM, Airbus.

What should you expect on board Air India’s A350-900?

Air India’s A350-900 aircraft comes in a three-class cabin configuration with 316 seats designed by Collins Aerospace: 28 private Business Class suites with full-flat beds, 24 Premium Economy seats with extra legroom and multiple other differentiating features, and 264 spacious Economy Class seats. All seats on the aircraft feature the latest-generation Panasonic eX3 in-flight entertainment system and HD screens to provide a superior flying experience. You can read all about the products in the cabin in our detailed note. 

Air India’s A350 flights will also feature new soft products and award-winning guest enhancements unveiled earlier this year. These enhancements include new chinaware, tableware and glassware, bedding, and updated amenity kits for Business and Premium Economy guests, which were exclusively designed by Ferragamo and TUMI. 

Bottomline

Air India has announced London Heathrow will be its first long-haul destination for the A350, starting September 1, 2024. The company’s A350-900 aircraft will operate twice daily between Delhi and London Heathrow. However, on July 20, there will be a one-off flight between DEL-LGW, and a return flight will operate on July 24, 2024.

Are you heading on a one-off flight operated by Air India to London Gatwick? Book Now. 

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