NEW DELHI: Nonstop connectivity between India and the US has received a boost as American Airlines resumes flights to the country after nearly a decade. The American New York-Delhi landed at the capital’s IGI airport on Saturday evening. This flight was supposed to start from October to the end, but has been postponed for a few weeks for the reopening of the US on November 8th for international travelers.
Similarly, the American Bengaluru-Seattle, which was scheduled to start January 4, 2022, has been postponed for a few months to the end of March as the business trip has not yet started and should show signs of recovery by then. The airline last flew to India in 2012 when it ended its Chicago-Delhi route, which opened in 2007.

“Thanks to the large diaspora and growing business relationships, there is an enormous demand for travel between India and the USA. The pandemic has resulted in people preferring to travel non-stop rather than just making one stop. There is enormous potential for expansion in India. Mumbai is a place that we take a good look at. We’ll see how these two routes we announced fare and then decide, ”Tom Lattig, MD (Sales) of American Airlines told TOI.
“Our India flights will give a sense of the country in terms of meals, in-flight entertainment content and Hindi-speaking crew. Our planes have Panasonic WiFi on board which also provides excellent ocean coverage, ”he added.
American recently entered into a codeshare agreement with IndiGo and will use its code on 29 of IndiGo’s domestic routes in India for seamless nationwide connectivity. AAdvantage members earn miles when they travel on American codeshare flights operated by IndiGo. Customers traveling in the American Airlines Flagship® business cabin have access to the IndiGo partner lounges in their cities of origin.
Air India and United offer nonstops on several routes between India and the US. Delta suspended flights here last March and has yet to resume. In pre-pandemic times, much of the travel between the two continents was handled through hubs in the Gulf, Europe and Southeast Asia in a single location. However, Covid is expected to shift the trend to nonstops. During Covid, both AI, which will soon be part of the Tata Group, and United have expanded direct connections between India and the US, including the introduction of new routes such as Bengaluru-San Francisco.