Tata Group's Air India is set to introduce new flights to Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and Los Angeles (LAX) this winter, expanding its U.S. network. According to Ishrion Aviation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) recently approved the routes as part of the winter schedule, allowing Air India to operate up to seven weekly flights on each route using Boeing 777 aircraft. Both routes are scheduled from Air India’s primary international hub in Delhi (DEL), with the Delhi-Dallas flight (AI109/110) departing at 4:00 AM and returning at 2:40 PM, while the Delhi-Los Angeles service (AI107/108) will take off at 5:00 AM, returning at 1:55 PM. Although operations are scheduled to begin on December 1, 2024, analysts anticipate possible delays due to operational requirements at both airports.

The new routes are some of Air India's longest, with the DEL-DFW flight covering 13,173 km via the Atlantic and Russian airspace, and the DEL-LAX flight spanning 12,896 km over the Pacific. These routes will be among India’s longest non-stop flights, following the Mumbai (BOM)-San Francisco (SFO) and Bengaluru (BLR)-SFO routes.

Currently, Air India serves five U.S. cities: Chicago (ORD), Newark (EWR), New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), and Washington D.C. (IAD). With no other carriers providing direct flights on these new routes, Air India will hold a temporary monopoly. In the summer of 2024, Air India operated around 120 flights weekly between India and the U.S., including return flights.

This announcement marks Air India’s first new U.S. route since adding San Francisco in 2015, with further North American expansions, including a Seattle (SEA) route, expected soon.