Air India To Start First Direct San Francisco – Bengaluru Route

First non-stop flight between Bengaluru and the US; to be operated twice a week

This would be the first non-stop flight between Bengaluru and the United States, connecting the world’s two tech hubs – the original Silicon Valley in California, and the Silicon Valley of India.

According to Nasscom officials, the move will help frequent flyers between the two cities known for their bubbling entrepreneurship and tech innovation.

The first non-stop flight between Bengaluru and San Francisco is a significant milestone for BLR Airport and will transform it as the new gateway to India. This will help passengers, enabling faster and easier access to cities on the West Coast of the United States.

New route sets two records

The new non-stop service is expected to meet the demand of corporate customers for travel to SFO and adjoining areas in the US.

Air India plans to operate a 238-seater Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft, to serve the largest hitherto unserved international origin/ destination (O/D) market for BLR Airport.

Bengaluru and San Francisco are ranked first and second, respectively, among the World’s top 45 digitally advanced cities.

Air India will operate a 238-seater Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft

The new route sets two records – it will be Air India’s longest route at 14,000+ km (8,698 miles) and longest flight to and from India (over 16 hours). The national carrier opened ticket bookings from November 25th, 2020.

United Airlines has also recently announced that it will launch a non stop flight between Bengaluru and San Francisco, albeit from the summer of 2021.

This article was first published in NFA Post and is republished with permission.