Air India has scheduled the first international flight for its new Airbus A350-900 aircraft after initially operating them on domestic routes only.
On May 1, 2024, the first of Air India’s new A350-900 jets will fly to Dubai International Airport (DXB), a relatively short hop for a plane that is capable of flying over 9,000 miles.
The first Air India A350 flight will depart from Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) in Delhi at 20:45 local time and arrive at DXB at 22:45 and return a few hours later.
According to Live from a Lounge, which first reported the news, the route is normally operated by Air India’s Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
Once the airline and staff become more familiar with the aircraft and flying to Dubai, the A350 will gradually be scheduled for longer routes.
The first ever Airbus A350-900 to join Air India’s fleet completed its maiden commercial flight on January 22, 2024.
The A350-900 widebody aircraft, registered VT-JRA, took off from Bengaluru Kempegowda Airport (BLR) and touched down at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport (BOM) just over an hour later.
The flight not only represented an aviation first for the carrier but also for India, which has never operated an Airbus A350 before.
VT-JRA is the first of 20 A350-900s on order that were originally earmarked for the Russian airline, Aeroflot.
After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, sanctions subsequently imposed by Western countries meant that the completed A350s could not be delivered and thus became available for purchase.
Air India’s A350-900 aircraft will have a three-class cabin configuration with 316 seats: 28 private business suites with full-flat beds, 24 premium economy seats with extra legroom and other amenities, and 264 economy seats.
According to ch-aviation.com, Air India is currently operating three of its new Airbus A350-900, a fourth having arrived on April 9, 2024.