- Air India has resumed nonstop services between Delhi, Mumbai and New York’s JFK and Newark airports
- The move follows the reopening of Iraqi airspace
- Journey times have been cut by nearly four hours by removing the Rome stopover
- Services restarted on 4 November
- Other North American routes continue to use technical stops in Europe
Air India has restored its nonstop flights connecting India with the New York area, eliminating a mandatory refuelling stop in Europe. The airline resumed direct nonstop operations across all four of its primary routes linking Delhi and Mumbai with New York JFK and Newark Liberty International Airport. The move follows the reopening of Iraqi airspace.
Previously, escalating geopolitical tensions and regional conflict forced Air India to take circuitous southern routes. Because Pakistani and Iranian airspaces remained closed or inaccessible, westbound ultra-long-haul flights were forced to make a technical refuelling stop at Rome Fiumicino Airport. The return to nonstop service was made possible after aviation authorities reopened Iraqi airspace corridors to commercial civilian transit.
Removing the Rome pitstop slashes gate-to-gate journey times by three to four hours. Total travel times have dropped from nearly 20 hours down to approximately 15 to 16 hours. Bypassing the stopover is expected to reduce crew strain and save roughly 10pc in fuel costs. Other North American routes to Chicago, Washington D.C. and Toronto continue to utilise technical stops in Europe.
