Air India to add 20 weekly flights to Birmingham, London and San Francisco

With five additional flights a week to Birmingham, nine additional flights to London and six additional flights a week to San Francisco, Air India will be offering more than 5,000 additional seats every week to customers, the carrier said in a release on Friday.

The airline's current schedule of 34 flights every week to the UK will now go up to 48 flights.

Birmingham will receive extra five flights per week, three from Delhi and two additional from Amritsar while London will receive nine additional weekly flights,  which include five from Mumbai, three from Delhi and one from Ahmedabad.

Together, seven Indian cities will now have non-stop Air India flights to the UK capital, the release said.

Air India's weekly flights to the US will increase from 34 to 40.

It will connect Mumbai with San Francisco thrice a week, and reinstate a triweekly Bengaluru operation. With the additions, Air India will have 16 weekly flights against the current 10, with non-stop service from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

The additional flights, which will be introduced in a phased manner from October to December this year, is part of the airline's ongoing endeavour to reclaim its position as a leader on the international aviation map, the release stated.

Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said as the airline reinvents itself under the Vihaan.AI transformation programme, adding frequency and improving connectivity from major Indian cities to more international destinations is a significant focus.

"This sizeable frequency increase to the US and the UK, as well as the addition of new city pairs and improved aircraft cabin interiors, comes just 10 months after Air India's acquisition by the Tata Group. It is a clear signal of our intent, and an early step towards a much bigger aspiration," he said.