Legacy U.S. carrier Delta will launch its service connecting New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport with Mumbai beginning December 24.
Delta first offered service between Mumbai and Atlanta in 2006 but was forced to suspend the service in 2009 after Gulf carriers made the route untenable. It later operated the Mumbai-Amsterdam sector, which was suspended in 2015.
Jimmy Eichelgruen, director-sales (South Africa, Middle-East and India), announced this at a press conference on Thursday, where he said commercial and economic ties between India and the U.S. were very strong. On the airline deciding to fly to New York instead of its bigger hub Atlanta, Mr. Eichelgruen said about 2.5 lakh Indian-Americans lived in New York, making it a natural choice for the new service. “Around 50% passengers are expected to head to New York, while the rest fly onward to other cities.”
An economy ticket on the 16-hour flight will cost ₹58,861 while the most expensive business class ticket will cost ₹1.91 lakh. The airline will operate its newly renovated Boeing 777-200LR aircraft on the route, featuring the Delta One Suite — an all-suite business class cabin — and the premium economy offering Delta premium select, Delta comfort+, and main cabin. The aircraft, Delta claimed, offers some of the widest seats in the industry across every cabin, making for a more comfortable experience, and more space and legroom for those sitting in Delta premium select and comfort+.
Delta’s resumption of direct flights to India became possible after last year’s agreement between the U.S. government, UAE and Qatar to address concerns raised by U.S. airlines of Gulf carriers getting illegal subsidies from their government. They would offer cheap flights on several routes, apart from eating into U.S. carriers’ traffic through fifth freedom rights, by which Gulf carriers could ferry passengers from the U.S. to other countries without even stopping within the UAE.
According to data from the Indian government, cited by Delta, almost 1.4 million Americans visited India in 2017, accounting for nearly 14% of India’s foreign tourist arrivals. The U.S. is now the second-largest market for India tourism. Meanwhile, in 2018, there were approximately 1.38 million overseas visitors from India to the U.S., making it the 10th highest visiting nation. India was also third in terms of growth rate at 7.2% for the year, according to U.S. government data.
“The new service will also be important for cargo customers and freight forwarders with the aircraft being able to carry up to 12 tonnes of cargo per flight. The timing into JFK also ensures that main freight products of pharmaceuticals, automobile parts and general cargo will be able to access Delta’s extensive domestic network,” Jason Philip, commercial director, Indian subcontinent said.
