Air India has brought back another service to Europe that was dropped during the COVID pandemic – Delhi-Vienna. The airline is restoring its international network and has even started new services, such as those in the US. The latest service resumption is part of that plan.

Delhi-Vienna service is back

On February 18th, Air India resumed non-stop flights between Delhi and Vienna. Flight AI153 operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from Delhi, taking off at 14:35 and arriving in Vienna at 18:45 (local time).

The carrier deploys one of its Boeing 787s on the route, with the aircraft offering a two-class cabin configuration featuring 18 business class and 236 economy class seats. Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial and Transformation Officer of Air India commented,

“A key element of Air India’s Vihaan.AI transformation is to keep enhancing connectivity between India's major cities and leading global destinations. Adding this new service to Vienna, following the recent service to Milan reiterates our commitment to this mission.”

Flight path
Photo: FlightRadar24.com

The occasion was marked with a ceremonial lamp lighting and ribbon-cutting ceremony, and passengers on this inaugural flight were offered a specially-curated menu.

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Other services to Europe

Vienna is part of Air India’s larger network resumption to Europe. It was revealed in November last year that the carrier is bringing back non-stop services from Delhi to Milan, Vienna, and Copenhagen – all three of which were suspended during COVID.

The Milan service was launched on February 1st and operates four times a week on Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays, and Mondays. On March 1st, Air India will also resume the Delhi-Copenhagen flight.

An Air India Boeing 787 in Star Alliance Livery flying in the sky.
Photo: Suparat Chairatprasert | Shutterstock.

Increasing options

Indian passengers looking for flights for overseas travel now have more options than ever, with several new routes and connections.

Air India will soon start flying to London Gatwick from Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Goa, and Kochi. SpiceJet now flies to Rome and Milan from Amritsar with a technical stopover in Tbilisi, Georgia.

IndiGo’s chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers recently said that the airline plans to increase the total destinations from 102 to 115 by the end of the next financial year, and most of this expansion will be centered around international destinations. Jakarta and Nairobi are two such destinations likely to feature on the carrier’s network.

Indigo Airbus A320 Landing
Photo: Anand G Iyer/Shutterstock

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Through its codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines, IndiGo also offers connections to Europe, including Portugal, Switzerland, France, and Austria, via Turkey.

Vistara has also recently launched new flights to the Middle East and Bangladesh. The airline also doubled its frequency to Frankfurt to six flights a week last year after it received its third Dreamliner on lease.

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  • Air India Tile
    Air India
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    AI/AIC
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport
    Year Founded:
    1946
    Alliance:
    Star Alliance
    CEO:
    Campbell Wilson
    Country:
    India
    Region:
    Asia