Air India will operate 32 non-stop India-US flights by May 11.
The figure is just 1 flight short of the 33 it used to operate between the two countries before the pandemic broke out.
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Why Indians Are Fleeing
The 32-flight frequency can be attributed to a surge in demand as passengers scramble to leave India in the backdrop of a worsening crisis of the 2nd Coronavirus wave.
The US has issued advisories for its people to not travel to India.
Indians, NRIs and PIOs alike have been gripped by fears that the US could in any day close its doors to them, so they have been getting ready to leave the country in short notice.
Another reason for these people exiting the country has been in search of better medical treatment.
They also have exit strategies in place given the overfilling of crematoriums here in the backdrop of a crumbling health infrastructure in multiple regions in the country.
US-Bound Flights Sold Out, Fare Increased 3-Times
238- and 342-seaters Boeing 777s chartered for North America are being sold out till May-end with no seat left unoccupied.
Air India has received spare B777s which it flew to Vancouver and Toronto but cannot anymore since Canada has suspended flights coming from India for 30 days.
The Maharaja has therefore been using the spare aircrafts to fulfil demand for US-bound passengers.
To this effect it has also introduced a brand-new Delhi-Newark route.
These passengers have been willing to shell out 3x the normal fare which was approx Rs 50,000 for a one-way economy India-New York trip.
The fare has ballooned in size to Rs 1.5 lakh.
AI Resumes UK-Bound Flights
Air India will also start UK-bound flights again from May 1 onwards.
This comes after a lift on suspension of flights which lasted between April 24-30.
Mumbai-Heathrow flights will resume from May 2 along with return flights on the same day.
Bengaluru-Heathrow flights will begin from May 5.
Destinations And Flight Dates
The official Twitter account of Air India informed the public about the following India-UK flights and dates for the duration between 1-15 May-
- Mumbai- Heathrow-Mumbai: dates of 1,4,6,8,11,13,15 May
- Delhi-Heathrow-Delhi: 2,3,7,9,10,14 May
- Bengaluru-Heathrow-Bengaluru: 5 and 12 May
Advisories To Passengers
It has also tweeted that passengers who are already booked on any of these flights will have to rebook and revalidate their dates.
They have also been advised to keep themselves updated on the guidelines issued by the UK govt.
Air India will not accept liability in cases where passengers on its flights are denied boarding or entry to the destination country.