SAN FRANCISCO: Air India’s first non-stop flight from New Delhi to San Francisco landed in SFO on December 2 amid rousing welcome, becoming the first Indian airline to provide a direct air connection to the West Coast in the US.
The Air India flight AI 173, a B777-200LR aircraft, with 230 passengers on board landed at 5.40 am with airport traffic control tower lit in Indian tricolor to welcome the flight to the city.
A number of officials from the US and India, including Venkatesan Ashok, Consul General of India, attended a formal ribbon cutting ceremony to mark beginning of the services. “It is a remarkable day and today is a great day for Air India” Ashok told the gathering at the airport.
The city mayor’s office declared this day as ‘Air India Day’, a symbolic gesture to celebrate the arrival of the first direct flight from India here.
With this non-stop flight to San Francisco from Delhi, Air India becomes the first domestic airline to provide a direct air connection to the West Coast.
Air India has started three flights per week – on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the Silicon Valley in September had announced to connect the Silicon Valley with India through a direct flight.
Passengers will have huge benefits traveling to San Francisco as they will undergo immigration and customs at their boarding point itself and can have comfortable journey further, according to the release. Passengers can enjoy non-stop entertainment, specially chosen food and best of comfort on this one of the world’s longest flights, it added.
“Starting a direct flight within two months was a daunting task but we made it possible with the cooperation from US officials,” an Air India official said.
The flight offers a 3-cabin configuration, with 8 seats in First Class, 35 seats in Business Class and 195 seats in Economy Class. A US security official at the airport said that the Air India flight was the first flight of the day and extra arrangements were made to receive the passengers.
Earlier, a special cake was cut just before departure at the Delhi airport to celebrate the launch of the maiden flight and passengers were presented with a rose bud each at the time of check-in.
Vidya Sethuraman
India Post News Service
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