Summary
- Air India’s Airbus A350 will soon have onboard WiFi, in line with increasing passenger demands for connectivity worldwide.
- The A350 is now deployed on the Delhi-London route, featuring a new three-class configuration.
- The aircraft will replace some other aircraft types on some Delhi-London flights, increasing weekly seat availability.
The Airbus A350 is increasingly making inroads into Air India operations. From operating domestic services to its first international flight from India to Dubai, it has now been deployed on the popular Delhi-London route. And now, the carrier has said that the aircraft will soon also have onboard WiFi.
WiFi on Air India’s Airbus widebody
Air India
recently deployed its Airbus A350 aircraft between Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR). It released a detailed statement about the service, and made a fleeting comment that its A350 aircraft will soon be equipped with on-board WiFi.
Photo: Air India
It was a blink-and-you-miss-it statement, but important, nevertheless, as passengers are increasingly demanding onboard connectivity from airlines across the world. The airline said that its A350s “will shortly be complemented by on board Wi-Fi” but that it is still subject to approval.
So far, Vistara is the only Indian carrier that offers WiFi on its Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A321neo aircraft on international flights only. The complimentary service is exclusively for Club Vistara members, marketed as ideal for messaging apps (WhatsApp, Messenger, iMessage and similar services).
A350 deployed on Delhi-London route
Air India recently deployed its A350 for the first time on the popular Delhi-London route. The twice-daily service represents the first time that the aircraft has been on long-haul flights. Before this, it was mostly used for domestic operations as familiarization flights for the crew and to Dubai.
It offers a three-class configuration offering full-flat beds in business class, a new premium economy cabin, and the latest generation seats in economy. Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, commented,
“The deployment of the flagship A350s on the Delhi-London Heathrow route marks a significant milestone for Air India. It demonstrates Air India’s commitment to elevating the travel experience of our guests to truly world-class standards and to going beyond just meeting customer expectations as we continue to grow and renew our fleet.”
Photo: Eurospot
The new A350 has updated amenity kits exclusively designed by Ferragamo and TUMI. It also has Air India’s new soft product—Vista Verve—with new chinaware, tableware, glassware, and bedding for passengers in premium economy and business class. The aircraft is also equipped with the latest-generation Panasonic eX3 in-flight entertainment system and HD screens, featuring more than 3,000 hours of entertainment content from around the world.
More A350 operations
The carrier is promoting its Airbus A350 fleet as the ‘new Air India’ experience. The aircraft will replace the currently deployed Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on 14 of 17 weekly flights between Delhi and London Heathrow. This means that an additional 336 seats will be available on this route each week.
Photo: Eurospot
In July, Air India announced that the A350 will also be
deployed daily this winter to New York JFK
and to Newark five times weekly. Demand for more nonstop flights between India and North America has increased significantly over the last decade. However, Air India couldn’t capitalize on it because of a lack of aircraft. Hopefully, the new A350s will help meet that demand.