Air India to use Dreamliners on metro routes in peak hours

NEW DELHI: Being a desi full service carrier ( FSC) is no longer enough. Tata-Singapore Airlines' soon-to-be-launched JV Vistara's announcement of introducing "uber luxury" has led to Air India and Jet joining the race to be the best in the full service segment.

While which airline emerges ahead remains to be seen, the consumer is the clear winner in this race.

AI has thrown an ace in this game by deciding to fly the twin-aisle widebody Dreamliner on metro routes in the morning and evening peak hours.

Till now, it was operating the Boeing 787 on Delhi-Kolkata and Delhi-Bangalore routes alone. From Monday, it stepped up flights on this aircraft with the aim of covering all six metros in coming weeks — or right before Vistara is launched by mid-October.

"Jet and Vistara will have single aisle narrow body Boeing 737 and Airbus A-320, respectively, on domestic routes. We, in addition to our A-320s, will have the B-787 that has full flat business class and bigger economy seats each with its own in-flight entertainment system. In the peak morning and evening travel time, this luxury will be available at the same price at which our competition will be giving much less. This move will be a game changer," said an official.

However, the success of this move will depend on Boeing's ability to fix the unending technical troubles with the Dreamliner.

AI did a detailed cost benefit analysis of deploying the made-for-international-routes B-787 on domestic routes.

"These planes will fly between metros in the morning and evening time when they are not going overseas. Their mainstay will be international flight but their domestic usage will be increased in the hours they would have remained idle, increasing the sweating of assets," said an official.

This move is the last strategic move by AI's outgoing chairman Rohit Nandan, who recently led the airline into Star Alliance.

Air India