AI’s Mum-Stansted flight to start in Feb

Air India (AI) is all set to start a non-stop flight from Mumbai to London’s Stansted Airport from February 2020. This comes after the airline was unsuccessful in

Air India (AI) is all set to start a non-stop flight from Mumbai to London’s Stansted Airport from February 2020. This comes after the airline was unsuccessful in acquiring slots at London’s Heathrow airport.

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The flight will be the country’s second non-stop flight to Stansted after AI started its Amritsar-Stansted flight in October.

AI chairman and managing director (CMD) Ashwani Lohani said, “We will open bookings for this flight and announce the flight timings before the weekend.”

The airline will deploy its Boeing 787 (Dreamliner) aircraft on this route.

An airline official, privy to the development, said, “The airline is still trying to get a slot at Heathrow airport. In case they get the slot, then they will operate their non-stop flight from Mumbai to Heathrow instead.”

As per the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA- India), a Sydney-based aviation consultant, Jet Airways’ suspension of operations in April led to vacant slots at both international and domestic airports. “Heathrow was one of the profit-making routes for Jet Airways. Since the airline does not exist now, Air India aimed to commence operation on the route,” said an official of Mumbai airport.

The Air India spokesperson was not available for comment.