India-U.S.: The Ultra-Long Haul Challenge

India’s air bubble agreement with the U.S. has given a fillip to 16-hour non-stop flights, bypassing the need to halt in hubs such as Dubai, Frankfurt, and Singapore. Air India has taken a lead, but questions remain about its continuity.

- Anshul Dhamija

IN NOVEMBER 2008, India’s technology capital was to be connected with Silicon Valley with a non-stop flight service by the erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines. However, that Bengaluru to San Francisco flight, which was to be serviced by the four-engined Airbus 340 aircraft, never saw the light of day; high oil prices followed by a global economic crisis stalled its take-off back then.

Thirteen years later (the irony isn’t lost with the number), another global crisis—more deadly in nature—has ensured that the two technology capitals of the world are connected with a non-stop flight service. On January 11, in the early hours of the morning, Air India flight AI176 from San Francisco landed at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB). The twin-engined Boeing 777200 LR aircraft had flown approximately 14,000 kilometres, charting a route over the North Pole, with a flight time of about 16 hours. The route is said to be amongst the top 10 longest routes in the world, in terms of distance flown. Add to it: The historic maiden flight was operated by an all-women cockpit crew.

“It’s a direct result of the air bubble arrangement [between India and the U.S.]. You don’t have a choice, you have to fly non-stop,” says Vinamra Longani, head of operations for Sarin & Co., an Indian law firm specialising in aircraft leasing and finance.