British Airways Announces Additional Weekly Flights Between India To London

by Yogita Chainani
British Airways Announces Additional Weekly Flights Between India To London

Soon after the UK government moved India to an amber list, British Airways has increased flights from India to the UK from 10 to 20 per week.” British Airways will now operate 20 direct return flights across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad providing convenient options for customers wanting to travel to London, Heathrow,” British Airways said in a statement. Additionally, the Indian government allowed UK carriers to operate additional flights.

Air India  Resumes London To Kochi Flights On August 18

Air India resumed the London-Kochi flight from August 18. The decision came after the UK moved India from the ‘red’ to ‘amber’ list. Flight AI 150/149 will be a direct 10-hour flight operating between Cochin International Airport and Heathrow. Travellers entering the UK from countries on the amber list need to undergo three COVID-19 tests. The first test has to be taken at least three days before departure. The second one needs to be taken on the arrival day or before day 2 of arrival. On the 8th day of arrival, the third test has to be taken. Travellers will have to undergo mandatory home quarantine for 10 days. Fully vaccinated UK nationals can skip quarantine and the 8th-day test.

Air India Starts Additional Non-Stop Flights To USA Amid Huge Demand From Students

Amid the reducing level of Covid-19 infection and re-opening of US universities for the fall semester, Air India has increased the frequency of flights to the US. According to reports, the airline will run as many as 21 flights in a week. The airline was running only ten weekly flights to the US till July. The US had completely banned flights from India in May when the country was facing the worst phase of the second wave of COVID-19.

Air India has announced new additional flights connecting Indian cities with Maldives and Malaysia, as the countries eased travel restrictions with India. Now you can fly directly from Mumbai to the Maldivian capital Malé on an Air India flight. The airline has announced non-stop flights between the two destinations, that will operate every Wednesday and Saturday starting July 28, 2021. A tweet by Air India reads, “Now fly non-stop from Mumbai to Male every Wednesday and Saturday, starting from 28th July 2021.”

Also Read: Maldives To Allow Indian Tourists From July 15; Know The Latest Rules Here

Air India Launches Its First Non-Stop Flight From Hyderabad To Chicago

Travelling to Chicago from Hyderabad just got a bit easier. Thanks to Air India, travellers now enjoy a direct flight to Chicago. To strengthen the ties with the US, Air India has now launched the first-ever-non-stop services till Chicago and here’s everything you must know about it. Meanwhile, here’s how Kids Can Now Fly For Free To Dubai Or Abu Dhabi With Etihad Airways. 

Also read: Senior Citizens Can Now Get A 50% Discount On Air India Flights

Picture Credits: National Wheels

Air India To Use Boeing 777-200 Aircraft For These flights

The flight AI 108 from Chicago to Hyderabad will operate on Wednesdays. It will leave Chicago at 9 30 PM (local time) and arrive in Hyderabad at 1 40 AM. Whereas, the return flight AI 107, from Hyderabad to Chicago will operate once a week, on Friday. It will depart from Hyderabad at 12 50 PM and arrive in Chicago at 6 05 PM on the same day.

Also read: New Delhi Railway Station To Get Swanky Makeover Costing Rs 50 Billion

The New Direct Flight Has A Seating Capacity Of 238 Seats

Air India will use the Boeing 777-200 aircraft for this direct service. When it comes to flight duration, Hyderabad to Chicago will take approx 16 hours 45 minutes, and Chicago to Hyderabad will take 15 hours and 40 minutes. For the flight, it has a seating capacity of 238 seats. There are 8 First Class, 35 Business Class,195 Economy class configuration besides 4 Cockpit and 12 Cabin crew. Ain’t that super amazing?

Also read: 8 Indian Towns With Hilariously Unfortunate Names That Actually Exist

Well, this is not the first non-stop flight launched by Air India. The national carrier currently operated non-stop flights from Delhi to New York, Newark, Washington DC, San Francisco and Chicago, from Mumbai to Newark and New York and has added non-stop flights from Bengaluru to San Francisco.

Captain Zoya Agarwal Led An All-Women Pilot Team On The World’s Longest Route Over The North Pole

When it comes to Air India, an all-women pilot team of the airline, led by Captain Zoya Agarwal flew on the world’s longest air route over the North Pole. Captain Zoya Agarwal commenced the flight with her team on January 9, 2021, and covered a distance of nearly 16,000 kilometres from San Francisco (SFO) to Bangalore. After landing at Bangalore, the women scripted history as it was the very first all-woman pilot team to fly over the North Pole on the longest route of the world. Women in India are making us proud all over again.

Aviation experts say that flying over the North Pole requires a lot of technical expertise, skill and experience. Captain Zoya Agarwal traversed one of the most difficult air routes with other women pilots in the team like Captain Thanmai Papagari, Captain Akanksha Sonawane and Captain Shivani Manhas. Captain Zoya was also the youngest woman commander in the world to fly a Boeing-777 in 2013.

Captain Zoya is indeed an inspirational figure to thousands of other women, and also men in the country.