Tata-owned Air India has announced the deployment of its Airbus A350 to its first foreign destination. The highly safeguarded secret is presently out with the airline deciding whether g to deploy the Airbus A350 to Dubai from its New Delhi hub.
A short while ago, the change started to be reflected in the booking engines. The airline will change the B787 Dreamliner on AI995 and AI996 with the flight departing Delhi as AI995 at forty-five minutes past eight in the evening and reaching Dubai in the night local time at forty-five minutes past ten. The return flight will be AI996 which leaves Dubai at fifteen minutes past midnight and in the morning five minutes to five reaches Delhi. Daily the flight operates with services from Delhi beginning on the 1st of May, and those from Dubai starting on May 02.
Air India’s A350-900 seats 316 passengers in a three-class configuration such as 264 in economy, 24 in premium economy, and 28 in business. In India, the airline has received four of these aircraft, while Airbus Orders And Deliveries data shows all six being delivered, from the first lot. These six were originally meant for Aeroflot – but never delivered as the Russia – Ukraine war led to sanctions on deliveries. While the configuration remains the same as what Aeroflot had ordered, Air India has ensured there are no traces of Aeroflot branding in the entire plane. The planes have been doing extensive runs in domestic skies since January for crew training and familiarization.
This January, the airline revealed its soft product at Wings India and the airline said that a new amenity kit, a luxurious and sustainable bedding refresh, as well as new glassware, cutlery, and Chinaware, would be part of the international rollout of the A350-900. The First class and the Business amenity kits are from the world-renowned Italian lux fashion house – Ferragamo. This would include a body lotion, hand cream, lip balm, socks, and eye mask. The bespoke bags have unique motifs that celebrate different printing styles of India. It would also have a specially designed Air India collectible. The TUMI kits will be given to the guests in the premium economy class, who will experience Verso, which is a renowned Swedish brand’s skincare product. Only on ultra-long-haul flights, amenity kits will be provided to the economy class including hand lotion, eye masks, and socks which are made using premium quality recyclable and reusable Kraft paper.
There is much more to the whole experience. Air India’s TUMI loungewear will be given to First and Business class guests. For extra softness, TUMI loungewear is made from recycled materials blended with cotton. For maximal comfort in the sky, First- and Business-class guests, will be provided with velour slippers. The linen also is upgraded with special linen for First and Business class guests. The multi-layer material, including memory foam, will boost the long-haul experience. The delicate jacquard border and the motif are inspired by the traditional Sozni embroidery of Jammu & Kashmir. Premium Economy and Economy guests will enjoy the warmth and comfort in a twill weave cabin blanket which is designed to reflect the new brand elements.
The eating experience also gets elevated with tiffin box-shaped salt pepper set in gold finish being the highlight. For Indin meals, First-class guests will receive exclusive, copper-gold thalis. Meals will be served in lightweight melamine material tableware, for the Premium Economy guests.
Emirates – which is the main competition for Air India on this route and which is also known for the opulence in its Business class. Air India’s deployment to Dubai ensures that the airline can compete with Emirates and help to increase fares, but the deployment is restricted to just one from many flights. Operationally, a fast turnaround flight without a crew change is what will help Air India train more and more crew sets on the new service levels. In August 2023, when the airline unveiled its branding, the registration on the plane showed F-UBAI. While it looked like it stood for Future Brands Air India, with Future Brands being the organization that designed this. Social media responded to it with a dig at Emirates with the words close to DUBAI. With the airline making a low-key announcement of flights to Dubai with the A350, the focus is on when its long-haul network will be discovered to enjoy the new experience.
