Air India announces first direct flight between Bengaluru and San Francisco

Bengaluru: Air India has announced twice a week non-stop flight between Bengaluru and San Francisco from January 11, a press release from Bangalore International Airport (BIAL) said.

This would be the first non-stop flight between Bengaluru and the US, connecting the world’s two tech hubs – the original Silicon Valley and the Silicon Valley of India.

The first nonstop flight between Bengaluru and San Francisco is a significant milestone for the Bengaluru international airport and will transform it as the new gateway to India. This will help passengers, enabling faster and easier access to cities on the west coast of the US, the press release said.

The new direct flight service is expected to meet the demand of corporate customers for travel to San Francisco and adjoining areas in the US.

Air India plans to operate a 238-seater Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft, to serve the largest unserved international origin/destination (O/D) market for the Bengaluru airport. Bengaluru and San Francisco are ranked first and second, respectively, among the World’s top 45 digitally advanced cities, the press release said.

The new route sets two records: it would be Air India’s longest route at 14,000 plus km (8,698 miles) and longest flight to and from India (over 16 hours). The national carrier has opened ticket booking from November 25, the release added.