Telangana Minister Requests Delta Airlines to Connect Hyderabad to Atlanta

Sridhar Babu Duddilla is the Minister of Information, Technology, Communications, Industries, and Commerce for the Government of Telangana. Recently, he held a meeting with senior executives of Delta Airlines, where he requested the American carrier to explore a flight connection between Hyderabad and Atlanta.

Atlanta is the busiest airport in the world. On the other hand, Hyderabad is the sixth largest airport in India in terms of passenger traffic.

#TOAFact: Hyderabad RGIA was the first greenfield international airport of India.

Telangana Minister Request to Delta Airlines

Sridhar Babu held a meeting with two senior executives of Telangana Government. This includes VP & CTO at Delta Airlines, Narayanan Krishnakumar, and Account Executive, Global Sales at Delta Airlines, Alexandra Rodriguez. The meeting was convened in Atlanta.

The delegation invited the airline to invest in Hyderabad as it undergoes a digital transformation. Hyderabad has a rich IT talent. The members have requested that the airline implement two key projects.

One is to set up a Global Capability Center in Hyderabad. This will cover the latest technological benefits across various segments like cybersecurity and AI. Another major requirement is to connect Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (HYD) to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Is the Delta Connection Possible?

At present, no airline is operating between Hyderabad and the United States of America. Once Air India launched services connecting Hyderabad to Chicago, but it routed the flight via Delhi after some months of operational start. The London Heathrow service of Air India ended in March 2023, when the airline shifted partial operations from Heathrow to Gatwick.

At present, Hyderabad is connected to only two European cities. British Airways connects the airport with daily flights to London, while Lufthansa operates five times a week to Frankfurt.

Now, let us see whether Delta Airlines will be able to operate the Hyderabad to Atlanta connection or not. Unless the Russian airspace restrictions are removed, Delta Airlines will not be able to operate this flight.

Russia and Ukraine have been in a war since 2022. Because of the sanctions imposed by the West on Russia, the airlines of these countries do not have rights to overly Russian airspace. So, unless things change, this connection seems impossible. Unlike western carriers, Air India has the authority to use Russian airspace.

Conclusion

A delegation from Telangana headed by the IT Minister talked with senior executives of Delta Airlines. They have pitched to set up a Global Capability Center in Hyderabad. Additionally, they have requested direct flights between Hyderabad and Atlanta.

What do you think about this demand? Discuss in the comment section.