BENGALURU- Air India (AI) aims to transform itself into a global airline under the Tata Group’s ambitious revival plan, and the international network of the airline continues to reflect its strong presence across both premium and high-demand short-haul as well as long-haul routes.
Air India has a growing fleet of widebodies. This includes the Airbus A350-900 and the Boeing 787-9s, which are expected to join the growing fleet. The airline is enhancing capacity and product standards in key international sectors.
Photo: Utkarsh Thakkar (Vimanspotter)Top International Routes of Air India
Here’s a look at the ten most significant international routes based on weekly one-way seat offerings, revealing where Air India’s international focus currently lies.
Photo: avgeekwithlens/ Harsh Tekriwal1. New Delhi – London Heathrow
The busiest international route in Air India’s network is the iconic corridor between India’s capital, Delhi, and the United Kingdom’s busiest airport, London. Air India serves this sector with 24 weekly flights split between the brand-new Airbus A350-900 and the ex-Vistara Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
The airline on the route offers a total of 7,344 one-way weekly seats. The addition of the A350s with their superior cabin experience has helped Air India to better compete with British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic (VS) in this high-profile sector.
Photo: avgeekwithlens/ Harsh Tekriwal2. New Delhi – Dubai
Dubai remains to be one of the most competitive and lucrative markets for Indian carriers, and Air India maintains a strong foothold here with four daily departures from Delhi. The airline deploys three ex-Vistara Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and one Airbus A319 daily.
This results in 6,986 weekly one-way seats by Air India in this sector. This route caters to both business and leisure travelers, as well as the massive Indian diaspora in the UAE.
Photo: avgeekwithlens/ Harsh Tekriwal3. Dubai – Mumbai
The Dubai–Mumbai corridor is another vital segment where Air India maintains a very strong presence. Air India serves Dubai from Mumbai with a total of 26 weekly flights. These 26 weekly flights comprise twelve Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operations, seven Airbus A320neo, and seven A321neo services.
Air India in this high-density route offers 5,522 one-way weekly seats. It represents the dense demand between India’s financial hub and the UAE’s largest city, capturing a mix of business, VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives), and transit traffic beyond Mumbai.
Photo: Sandeep/ atc spotter4. Kathmandu – New Delhi
Air India’s Kathmandu–Delhi route is a short international hop but a high-frequency one. The airline serves Kathmandu with five daily flights from its largest hub, Delhi. The flights are operated on the Airbus A320 family, including two daily flights with the Airbus A320neo and the remaining three daily flights with the older A320ceo (A320-200).
This route accounts for 5,432 weekly one-way seats for Air India. As Nepal remains one of India’s most important neighboring markets, this high capacity reflects both diplomatic and tourism-oriented demand.
Photo: Utkarsh Thakkar (Vimanspotter)5. Mumbai – London Heathrow
Air India operates two daily services on this flagship long-haul route. The airline uses the Boeing 777-300ER on both of its daily flights. The Boeing 777-300ERs offer a significant seating capacity of 342 seats per flight and also offer First class. This results in 4,788 weekly one-way seats, making it one of the most premium-heavy routes in the airline’s portfolio.
The Mumbai–London corridor is crucial for both business travelers and Indian diaspora movements. Air India’s consistent deployment of widebodies ensures strong capacity on this transcontinental sector.
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Photo: avgeekwithlens/ Harsh Tekriwal6. Singapore – New Delhi
The Singapore–Delhi sector remains a high-demand market for both leisure and business traffic. Air India serves the route with three daily flights. One of the three daily flights is operated by the ex-Vistara Boeing 787-9, and the other two by the narrow-body Airbus A321.
The total capacity offered by Air India is 4,641 one-way weekly seats. These multiple daily flights enable the airline to compete with Singapore Airlines while providing a mix of premium and economy seating options.
Photo: Robin HARDY7. Bangkok – New Delhi
The Bangkok–New Delhi route is leisure and business-focused. This route continues to show strength as Air India serves this sector with four daily services. This route is operated exclusively by Airbus A320neo aircraft.
Each aircraft offers 164 seats, resulting in a total of 4,592 weekly one-way seats. Bangkok remains one of the most popular travel destinations for Indian tourists, and Air India’s high-frequency presence caters to this robust demand segment.
Photo: Dnata8. Paris – New Delhi
The Paris–Delhi route is operated with a double-daily operation by Air India. The airline operates this sector using the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner twice every day. The double daily flights in this sector take the capacity offered to 3,584 one-way weekly seats.
Air India leverages this connection not just for point-to-point traffic but also for onward transit flows into Europe and North America. With the growing Indo-French businesses and cultural relationships, this corridor continues to hold strategic importance.
Photo: avgeekwithlens/ Harsh Tekriwal9. New Delhi – Toronto
The New Delhi–Toronto route is the first and only ultra-long-haul route to make it to the top 10 for Air India. This ultra-long-haul route is served twice daily/ 14 weekly flights. Of the 14 weekly flights, 11 of these are operated using the Boeing 777-300ERs, and the remaining three weekly flights are operated using the Boeing 777-200LRs.
With a combined weekly seat count of 3,398, the Delhi–Toronto link is one of the most vital routes for the Indo-Canadian diaspora. The use of long-range aircraft ensures non-stop service with adequate premium seating, which is especially attractive to business and high-yield passengers.
As per the latest filing by Air India, the airline is planning to reduce the overall frequency in this sector.
Photo: By aeroprints.com, CC BY-SA 3.010. Singapore – Mumbai
The tenth largest international route by weekly capacity in Air India’s network is the Singapore-Mumbai route.
Operated twice daily using the Airbus A321-200, the airline offers a total of 2,548 weekly one-way seats in this sector. This corridor connects two major financial centers in Asia and also captures substantial transit traffic through Singapore’s Changi hub.
Aircraft Composition
Air India’s widebody operations are heavily dependent on Boeing’s Dreamliner family and the recently introduced A350-900s, which are gradually taking over premium routes.
Narrow-body aircraft, particularly the A320neo and A321neo, continue to serve on short-haul international flights like Singapore, Kathmandu, and Bangkok. These newer-generation aircraft provide fuel efficiency and cost-effectiveness while maintaining passenger comfort.
Photo: EurospotA Glimpse of Strategy
Air India’s international route strategy clearly focuses on maintaining dominance in key business and diaspora-heavy markets while beginning to modernize and expand its fleet to provide a better long-haul product.
The use of high-capacity aircraft on routes to London, Toronto, and Paris indicates a commitment to solidifying its premium international footprint, even as it continues to serve high-volume short-haul destinations like Dubai and Kathmandu.
With the Tata Group’s backing, increasing aircraft deliveries, and a comprehensive transformation plan under way, the airline is poised to not just retain but expand its international reach.
Future route expansion to destinations like Los Angeles, Seattle, and other Southeast Asian destinations is already in progress. The arrival of more aircraft will further surge the capacity numbers in some key sectors.
As it stands today, these ten routes symbolize Air India’s commitment to connecting India with the world across both regional and long-haul sectors, marking the return of the Maharaja in the skies.
Featured Image By Siddh Dhuri | Mumbai Planes | Instagram
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