Air India to connect 2 top IT hubs

Air India to connect 2 top IT hubs
Will Introduce Non-Stop Bangalore-San Francisco Flights This Year

New York: Air-India expects to increase its earnings from the India-US sector, which will see addition of more new direct services by the carrier. “As the India-US sector is the highest revenue-earning sector, it will continue to be Air India’s major thrust area for growth in the coming years,” the airline’s executive director Jitender Bhargava told reporters here.
The revenue earned from the India-US sector in 2005-06 was almost Rs 2,616 crore and “we expect to earn over Rs 3,300 crore in the current year,” he said.
The airline also plans to introduce non-stop flights between Bangalore and San Francisco this year, connecting the Silicon Valleys of both countries, when the sixth Boeing 777-300 aircraft is inducted.
The airline also plans to commence flights to Washington and Texas, either Houston or Dallas, amongst other cities in the US. However, these would be operated with an intermediate halt at a European destination, he said.
He was speaking to reporters from India who flew in here on Air India’s first non-stop Delhi-New York flight over the North Pole, covering the distance in just a little over 15 hours.
Air-India also plans to operate flights to Bangkok and Osaka as new aircraft, orders for which have been placed, join its fleet over the next few years.
For its non-stop flights to JFK airport in New York from Mumbai and Delhi, the airline is using four brand new B 777-200 planes, while for other long-haul operations, it has placed orders for 15 B 777-300.
Of the eight B 777-200 ordered, the fifth one will join its fleet on February 29 while the remaining three would be inducted by 2009, Bhargava said, adding the airline would have six B 777-300 this year, with the rest of the fleet coming in phases till 2011.
On the delay in Boeing delivering the B 787 Dreamliner, which were supposed to be inducted from this year, he did not divulge the quantum of compensation being paid by the manufacturer.
He, however, said the airline was looking for leasing capacity for its route-expansion programme due to the delay in delivery of Dreamliners. On its plans to acquire additional aircraft, Bhargava said all aircraft, including the Airbus A-380, were being considered for induction. AGENCIES