Air India to Deploy A350-900 to London Heathrow

DALLAS — Air India (AI) has announced that on September 1, 2024, the Airbus A350-900 will operate the airline's Delhi (DEL)-London Heathrow (LHR) service.

The A350 will fly 14 weekly services out of the 17 weekly flights between the two capital cities. The route is currently operated by AI's Boeing 787-8 and 777-300ER.

This move also increases the number of seats the airline can sell by an additional 336. 

Air India's A350 in Context

Air India ordered 40 A350s in 2023, six of which have been delivered, with the first of the lot arriving in December 2023. AI’s A350s currently operate domestic flights and one international flight from Delhi to Dubai. The carrier’s A350s were part of a bulk order, consisting of 470 aircraft; 250 Airbus, and 220 Boeing aircraft,as confirmed by indiaexpress.com and Airbus. 

These A350s feature the carrier's newest cabin and livery, which is part of their new brand identity after the takeover by the TATA group in January 2022. AI’s A350 consists of a three-class configuration: Business (28 seats), Premium Economy (24 seats), and Economy Class (264 seats).

"With the deployment of the A350-900 to London Heathrow in September, Air India will have upgraded 90% of all its flights to London Heathrow”, said airlines via a press release.