In 2023, Air India disclosed that they would refurbish the lounges in Delhi and New York for the airline. The lounges are dated and have not been refurbished for a long time. With the arrival of the Tata Group on the scene, the airline has upgraded the amenities at the Delhi lounges. Still, the New York lounge has been the stuff of discussion in the western traveller communities, and most of the things I’ve heard are not pleasant (the lounge participates in the Priority Pass network for New York JFK). I visited the lounge in October 2024, and renovation was yet to start.

Air India appointed Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) of Singapore Airlines’ Lounges fame to refurbish Air India lounges at Terminal 3, Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi and Terminal 4 of JFK Airport in New York. The Air India International Lounge in Delhi is shut and being renovated. It is expected to come back online during 2025 itself. In the meantime, we also broke the news about Air India’s plans to open a lounge at San Francisco International Airport.

Air India is now planning a Lounge at London Heathrow.

Air India is also exploring another international lounge at London Heathrow Airport now, according to the UK website HeadForPoints, which was hosted in India by Air India last week. In the words of HfP,

Discussions with the airport for a “large space” are ongoing. It’s not entirely clear where this could be, although I suspect it will be in the T2B satellite from where the majority of long haul flights depart and where United, Singapore Airlines and Air Canada currently have lounges. It is possible that there is further unused space on the same level as these.

My Take on Air India’s Move

While some may disagree about the need for another lounge, airport lounges are a high-visibility hoarding for airlines, and I appreciate the move. When you walk past an Emirates or a Qantas lounge, you know the airline flies from the airport (even if you did not earlier), and you think higher of them, perhaps putting them in your consideration set for your trip later. Especially at London Heathrow, where the upscale folks fly from all the time, and AI has connectivity from Delhi and Mumbai both, multiple times a day.

It also signifies the market’s importance to customers, who might be inclined to pursue more high-yield corporate business with this signalling. Also, given that LHR is a gateway airport, it could mean that the lounge could operate as a profit centre by being offered to other Star Alliance carriers (and other airlines as well) and, if needed, even to Priority Pass.

Bottomline

Air India, which is refurbishing its Delhi Lounge, is also exploring a lounge in London Heathrow. The airline is talking to LHR management, and a formal announcement about this lounge’s whereabouts and opening timeline is still awaited.

What do you think of Air India’s Lounge strategy? Where will they target opening a lounge next?

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