Air India's nonstop Delhi-Calif flight at PMO's behest?

September 30, 2015 14:49

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the non-stop Air India flight from Delhi to California at the end of his community reception at the SAP Center, San Jose, on September 27.

And, according to the Telegraph, Kolkata, thereby hangs a tale.

'Air India is preparing to deploy a Boeing 777-200 LR (Long Range) aircraft for the thrice-a-week Delhi-San Francisco flight at the behest of the Prime Minister's Office without prior route viability studies, multiple sources in the airline have told The Telegraph,' reports Sumi Sukanya.

A top official in the national carrier told the newspaper that the airline had examined the route option in 2009 itself but a decision was kept in abeyance because Air india's other long-haul flights were getting a poor response.

'However, the PMO indicated that announcing a new flight to connect the two countries now would be a good idea,' the official told the Telegraph, and that the decision was hence taken "hurriedly" ahead of Modi's US visit.

Read the full report here.

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