An all-women cockpit crew will operate the maiden flight between the IT cities.
India’s national carrier Air India will begin the operations of the first ever non-stop flight between San Francisco and Bengaluru on January 9. Air India will operate two flights per week, leaving San Francisco Saturdays and Tuesdays, and leaving Bengaluru Mondays and Thursdays. The duration of the journey is 16 to 16.5 hours.
Media sources say the first flight is fully booked.
The flights will operate using state-of-the-art Boeing 777-200LR long-range aircraft equipped with 238 seats, comprising 8 First Class, 35 Business Class, and 195 Economy Class seats. Air India’s Captains Akanksha Sonwane, Shivani Manhas, Thanmai Papagari, and Zoya Agrawal are the pilots for the aircraft.
Air India’s Executive Director of Flight Safety Captain Nivedita Bhasin will also be a part of the crew.
San Francisco International Airport welcomed Air India’s decision to fly the first-ever direct flight between Bengaluru and San Francisco. “We are truly honored to be the first airport in the United States to offer non-stop flights to Bangalore,” said San Francisco Airport Director Ivar C Satero.
Air India Commercial Director Meenakshi Mallik said: “To cater to the growing demand of passengers, Air India is spreading its wings further in the United States with the launch of its first-ever non-stop services between the two IT hubs, San Francisco and Bengaluru.”
The cities of Francisco and Bengaluru established a sister relationship with each other in 2009. Bengaluru is often referred to as the Silicon Valley of India because of its preeminence as home to infotech and the largest number of start-ups in the country.
