Air India to launch flights to Los Angeles, Stockholm, Nairobi this year

Flight to Los Angeles to start from September 1

National carrier Air India will launch flights to three new destinations in the US as well as to Stockholm, Nairobi and Tel Aviv this year, its CMD Ashwani Lohani said on Tuesday.

Making it the fifth non-stop destination in the United States, a direct service would start to Washington from July 7, followed by a flight to Los Angeles from September 1 and then to Dallas.

The airline, which is working on ways to revive its fortunes, would commence service to the Swedish capital Stockholm from August 15.

Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani said it would also start flights to Tel Aviv (Israel), Nairobi (Kenya) and Dallas (the US) this year.

"To Washington from July 7, Stockholm from August 15 and Los Angeles from September 1 to be followed by Tel Aviv, Dallas and Nairobi sometime later during the year 2017 itself. Air India spreads its wings far and wide," Lohani said in a Facebook post.

Washington would be the airline's fifth non-stop destination in the US after New York, Newark, Chicago and San Francisco.

The move to fly to more destinations in the US also comes against the backdrop of the carrier seeing higher demand on the flights to America after the Trump administration imposed restrictions on flights originating from certain airports in the Middle East and North Africa.

Citing terror concerns, the US in March had imposed restrictions on travellers to the US from certain countries in the Middle East and North Africa, whereby they are not allowed carry large electronic devices as cabin baggage.

As part of expanding its flights to the US, Air India would also be inducting seven Boeing 787-9 planes.

Services to the US account for nearly 20 per cent of the national carrier's total annual revenues.