Air India likely to launch Mumbai-Frankfurt flight from June

State-run carrier Air India is likely to start a direct flight from Mumbai to Frankfurt from June as it seeks to expand its operations to Europe, official sources said.

According to the official sources, the airline would operate thrice a week from the metropolis and depart for Frankfurt in the morning hours.

"We are finalising the slots, and once we are done with it we will make a formal announcement," they said.

The airline currently operates a regular flight on the Delhi-Frankfurt route.

"The new service from Mumbai has been in demand for long, and hopefully we can start it by mid June or towards the end of the month," sources added.

Among European cities, the Air India flies directly to destinations such as Stockholm, Madrid, Vienna, Paris, London, Rome, Birmingham and Milan.

The disinvestment-bound carrier had last month announced increasing the frequency between Delhi-Copenhagen to four days a week as part of its efforts to expand its network and capacity augmentation.

With new aircraft being added to its fleet, sources said the airline is focussing on its network to increase market share.

In March this year, it stood at 13.4 per cent.

Seeking to improve its passenger-friendly image, Air India CMD Pradeep Singh Kharola has asked senior level officials including the general managers to conduct night visits at the airports and have a first hand experience from the passengers about the services provided.