New Delhi is now directly connected to San Francisco as Air India launched the first non-stop flight between these two destinations on December 2nd. The direct Indian carrier has reduced the travel time between these two countries by six hours.
The Air India flight AI 173, a B777-200 LR aircraft landed in Sans Francisco with 230 passengers at around 5.40am on December 2nd. The San Francisco airport traffic control towers were lit with Indian flag colours to welcome the passengers.
Venkatesan Ashok, Consul General of India, and several other officials from India and the US attended a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the beginning of the services. “It is a remarkable day and today is a great day for Air India”, Ashok told Press Trust of India (PTI).
This new service has come as a blessing for Indians living on the West Coast. When the aircraft touched base, the overjoyed passengers applauded out of excitement. According to the Press Trust of India, the city mayor’s office declared the day as ‘Air India Day’, a symbolic gesture to celebrate the arrival of the first direct flight from India.
In September, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the West Coast, he had announced the launch of this service. “Starting a direct flight within two months was a daunting task but we made it possible with the cooperation from US officials,” an Air India official said.
The flight saves a lot of travel time. People earlier used to go to Chicago to take a flight to India, Abhinav Kuru, an IT professional from Hyderabad and one of the passengers told PTI.
