Air India, owned by National Aviation Co, has expanded its international operations with the launch of two daily flights from Mumbai and Delhi to New York and Chicago via here and opened a European hub at the Frankfurt Airport.
India's national air carrier's new US-bound flights, which left Mumbai and Delhi Saturday night, in accordance with the airline's new summer schedule, landed at the Frankfurt Airport on Sunday morning and continued their journey to New York (Newark) and Chicago after transferring their passengers travelling to different destinations in the US and Europe.
Shortly afterwards, flights from New York and Chicago stopped over at Frankfurt to enable passengers to board connecting flights for Mumbai and Delhi.
The carrier's new services to the US and Europe and the opening of its operational hub for west-bound flights in Frankfurt are part of a major initiative to strengthen the airline's global network by acquiring new aircraft, adding new routes and increasing the frequency of existing routes, Air India Regional Manager for Central Europe Ratan Bali said.
The launch of the new services doubles the total number of Air India's flights operating from Frankfurt to 28. This will be raised to 35 when Air India launches another daily service between Frankfurt and Ahmedabad, possibly in June, he said.