Six months after launching its Mumbai-New York JFK service in December 2018, Air India has closed reservations for it beyond June.
The national carrier had suspended the route temporarily due to Pakistan airspace closure earlier this year and is set to be reviewed on May 15. Flights like AI-105/106, which operated the Mumbai–New York JFK route, were cancelled temporarily from March 10, and were expected to restart from June 2. Bookings are now not available for the thrice-a-week non-stop service till the end of the 2019-2020 winter schedule.
Meanwhile, Delta has opened bookings on the route for its daily service from December 24. Delta will fly the route with a renovated Boeing 777-200LR, featuring the airline’s award-winning product, seatback entertainment throughout, Wi-Fi connectivity and free mobile messaging.
Air India is the largest operator of non-stop flights between India and the United States and the airspace closure has been costing it losses up to ₹6 crore a day. Reji Philip, a travel operator, said, “Flights from Central Asia to India have been taking up to four hours longer than normal over the last three months due to the airspace closure. Flights like Mumbai-New York will massively hit airline earnings.”
Airline officials explained that the airline wasn’t even flying full capacity on the international routes. “We get 70%-80% of the full capacity on international routes. The monopoly we once enjoyed is not there anymore. People have other airline options, especially through the Middle East,” the official said.
Air India flights to New York, Newark, Chicago, Washington and San Francisco fly 14 to 16 hours non-stop. Due to the airspace closure, these flights are being routed through Omani and Iranian airspace.
