Second Route: Air India to Deploy Airbus A350 Between Mumbai and Dubai

Air India has a fleet of five Airbus A350 aircraft and has already got the approvals for pressing this aircraft on international operations. On May 1, the airline operated its maiden international flight with the Airbus A350 between Delhi and Dubai. Now, it has opened the reservations for second route, this time between Mumbai and Dubai.

Air India to Deploy A350 on Mumbai-Dubai Route

Air India currently operates 19 times a week between Mumbai and Dubai. All these flights are operated with a mix of Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and Airbus A320neo. Daily service AI983/984 is currently operated with Boeing 787 Dreamliner. This scenario is going to change.

From June 1, Air India will be deploying the Airbus A350 on AI983/984 service, replacing the current Boeing 787 Dreamliner product. This will be the first time, that Air India will be selling the Premium Economy product on the Mumbai – Dubai route. It is going to be the second international route for the Airbus A350 fleet. Already, it is operating the A350 daily on the Delhi to Dubai route.

However, this A350 deployment is limited until August 31. After August 31, this route will again witness B787 Dreamliner operations. This is the same case with Delhi to Dubai route as well. In summary, the airline is operating the A350 on the DEL/BOM-Dubai routes only until August-end. This hints at a change in plan from September month. There is a huge possibility that Air India will start deploying the A350 on international long-haul operations.

An Upgrade Comes With A Downgrade

We all are aware that the bilateral air rights between India and Dubai are almost exhausted. Airlines from India like IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet have fully utilized their Dubai quota. If this is the case, then a question comes to mind. How is Air India able to increase the number of seats on offer, when bilateral rights are fully exhausted?

The Airbus A350 of Air India has 60 more seats than its Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Boeing 787 has 256 seats (18 Business & 238 Economy Class), while the Airbus A350 has 316 seats (28 Business, 24 Premium Economy, and 264 Economy Class).

To accommodate the additional 60 seats, the airline has downgraded equipment on another Dubai route. From June 1, it will downgrade the daily Air India flight AI917/918 between Delhi and Dubai to A319. Currently, this flight is being operated using the A321ceo fleet. Let us have a look at the seating difference between A321 and A319.

Air India’s A321 fleet has 182 seats (12 Business & 170 Economy Class), while the A319 has 122 seats (8 Business & 114 Economy Class). The difference here is exactly 60 seats. Hence, to accommodate the additional 60 seats of the A350, the airline has downgraded 60 seats on the Delhi to Dubai route by changing the equipment from A321 to A319. This change will go live on June 1, the same date when Air India will start deploying the A350 on the Mumbai-Dubai route.

Upping the International Game

Air India, in the recent past, has been very active in enhancing its international services. The airline has announced the doubling down of services on the route between Delhi and Phuket. Soon, the Mumbai to London Heathrow route will be exclusively operated by the former Etihad Boeing 777s, changing the overall product.

On the European side, it has announced the upgrading of various routes. In June and July month, services to three European cities will be increased. Flights from Delhi to Milan and Amsterdam will be operated daily, while Copenhagen service will be increased to five times a week.

A lot of Boeing 787 capacity is being vacated. Soon, B777 will replace B787 on the Mumbai to Heathrow route. Similarly, A350 will replace the B787 on Mumbai-Dubai route. With this vacated capacity, we can expect more announcements from the airline in the near future. It has already announced its foray into the Switzerland market, with three weekly flights between Delhi and Zurich.

Conclusion

Air India, which inducted its first Airbus A350 in December 2023, has opened the reservation for the aircraft type’s second international route. After Delhi, the airline is set to deploy the A350 on the Mumbai to Dubai route. From June 1, the A350 will be deployed between the route connecting the Financial Capitals of India and the United Arab Emirates. With this, daily service between Delhi and Dubai, which is operated with A321 will be downgraded to A319.

Have you traveled onboard Air India Airbus A350? What was your experience. Share it in the comment section.