A Delta 777-200 departing from LAX (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Ben Suskind)
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines has announced that it will be commencing nonstop service between New York and Mumbai. The flight is expected to begin on Dec. 22 and will operate daily on a year-round basis between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
Delta’s new route to Mumbai will be the only nonstop link between New York and Mumbai by a U.S. carrier. The carrier used to operate flights between India’s largest city and the U.S. in 2006 but ended the route in 2009 after facing stiff competition from Middle East carriers.
In its press release announcing the route, Delta was clear to mention that it was against the so-called illegal subsidies that the Middle Eastern carriers received which allowed them to be so profitable on routes between North America and Asia.
“Subsidies pose a serious threat to American workers,” said Peter Carter, the carrier’s Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. “Every long-haul route lost or foregone to subsidized Middle East carrier competition costs more than 1,500 American jobs, so we are pleased to bring this route back into service thanks to landmark agreements the Trump administration reached with Qatar and the U.A.E.”
The new route will be operated on Delta’s recently renovated Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, which now features many of Delta’s premium service offerings. The airline’s largest Boeing aircraft now features premium products found on the company’s Airbus A350-900 XWB such as the Delta One suite and Delta Comfort + section, in addition to refreshed cabins.
Demand for flights between the U.S. and India has increased greatly over the years, especially as many carriers who attempted to link the U.S. and India, namely Air India and Jet Airways, have suffered greatly due to financial issues.
In addition to the Mumbai flights, Delta will also be adding flights to its service from New York to London, Tel Aviv, Paris, and Amsterdam. London’s Gatwick Airport will see its only U.S. carrier when Delta launches service next year to New York and Boston.
United is the only other U.S. carrier that operates flights to Mumbai from its hub in neighboring Newark, N.J.
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