Flying Air India? You can have the Vistara experience on 5 prime routes

Air India is all set to elevate the travel experience for its fliers with the introduction of the former Vistara A320neo aircraft on five key metro-to-metro routes starting December 1, 2024. These high-demand routes, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, will now be serviced with the airline's best narrowbody aircraft, offering a premium journey with three cabin class options.

 

This will see all flights between the following metro cities operated with erstwhile Vistara A320-series aircraft offering Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class:

1. Delhi and Mumbai

2. Delhi and Bengaluru

3. Delhi and Hyderabad

4. Mumbai and Bengaluru

5. Mumbai and Hyderabad

 

Such flights will operate with ‘AI’-prefixed four-digit flight numbers beginning with ‘2’, such as AI2999 from Delhi to Mumbai.

 

Air India will also optimise flight schedules so that flight departures are spread out throughout the day, without reducing frequency. 

 

Air India now offers more than 1,000 weekly flights (round trips) on these key routes: 56x daily on Delhi-Mumbai, 36x daily on Delhi-Bengaluru, 24x daily on Delhi-Hyderabad, 22x daily on Mumbai-Bengaluru, and 18x daily on Mumbai-Hyderabad.

 

"The merger of Vistara into Air India has unlocked many new opportunities to improve our customer offering. By combining the strengths of both full-service carriers, we are able to consolidate our best narrowbody offering on routes

where there is desire for a high-frequency, full-service product. We will progressively expand the coverage to more routes as Air India inducts new aircraft and completes the retrofit of our legacy narrowbody fleet during 2025," said Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India.

 

Air India’s aircraft on the five key metro-metro routes feature eight luxurious seats in Business Class, each offering 41-inches of pitch, 7-inches of recline, leg rest and footrest; 24 extra legroom seats in a dedicated, upscale Premium Economy Class cabin, with each seat offering 33-inches of pitch and 4-inches of recline; and 132 comfortable seats in Economy with 29-inches of standard pitch in the cabin and 3-inches of recline.

 

"Travellers can expect a world-class, full-service flying experience on Air India’s metro-to-metro routes. This includes award winning cabin interiors, complimentary hot meals, lounge access for premium guests at all major airports, the choice of convenient flight connections to destinations across five continents, and service delivered to the exacting standards of the new Air India," said the airline in a statement.

 

Air India will continue to operate one widebody flight each between Delhi and Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad using its Boeing 777 or Airbus A350 aircraft, which will have ‘AI’-prefixed three-digit flight numbers.

 

Air India has launched a $400 million refurbishment programme to overhaul 67 of its older aircraft while it seeks to grow into a world-class airline.