Air India to fly direct to San Francisco starting 2 December

Air India is all set to launch the first ever non-stop flight from New Delhi to San Francisco beginning 2 December. The flight will be operated using the wide-body Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, as announced earlier.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his September visit to the Silicon Valley had also made an announcement in this regard.

Air India said the flight AI-173 to San Francisco will leave Delhi on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, at 0235 hours.

The flight will arrive at San Francisco at 0700 hours (local time) on the same day, and the return flight will depart at 1030 hours, arriving Delhi the next day on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Mondays.

Air India is also operating a flight to Bengalure to connect the two tech cities. Accordingly, flight AI-173 from Bengaluru to Delhi will depart on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 2115 hours with a A321 aircraft. The flight will arrive in Delhi at 2345 hours.

Flight AI-173 to San Francisco will leave Delhi on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 0235 hours and will be operated with B777-200LR aircraft, the airline said.

This flight will arrive in San Francisco at 0700 hours (local time) on the same day, Air India said, adding the return flight will depart at 1030 hours and arrive at Delhi next day (Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays) and at 1620 hours it will depart for Bengaluru with A321 plane to arrive at 1745 hours.

Passengers will have huge benefits travelling to San Francisco as they will undergo immigration and customs at their boarding point itself and can have comfortable journey further, according to the release.

Passengers can enjoy non-stop entertainment, specially chosen food and best of the comfort on this one of the world's longest flights, it added.

San Francisco International Airport has announced a trivia contest on social media to mark the beginning of the first-ever non-stop flight from New Delhi to the tech city by Air India from 2 December.

The contest, titled #NonstopAirIndia, invites participants to answer five trivia questions about Air India and their new service at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

"This new service is significant - the first nonstop flight from the West Coast of the US to India, saving hours off the journey time," Charles Schuler, Director of Communications SFO said.

"We are excited to host this contest to welcome Air India to SFO," he said.

With this contest, participants have a chance to win round-trip economy tickets on Air India to New Delhi, an SFO media release said on Wednesday.

A number of officials from the US and India, including Venkatesan Ashok, Consul General of India, will attend a formal ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the beginning of the services.

AI expects passengers from other Indian cities - Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Ahmedabad and Pune - as well to have seamless connections to the flight from Delhi.