Tata Group-owned Air India is planning to operate flights to more US cities, including Los Angeles, and is assessing various metrics, according to sources.

Currently, the airline operates non-stop flights to five American cities — Washington, DC, New York, New Jersey, Chicago and San Francisco.

Los Angeles and Boston are among the cities being assessed as potential new destinations for long-haul flights from India, the sources said.

“We are planning to expand (our base) in the US and various cities are being assessed for potential new destinations. So, Boston is one of them, and Los Angeles too is among the cities that are being assessed,” one of the sources said.

“We are weighing other metrics as well,” the source added.

Starting a new destination entails examining a lot of factors, including fleet size, pilot strength and traffic volume on the route, according to aviation industry experts.

The source said current pilot strength, training of cabin crew and ground staff to be deployed at an airport at the new destination are among the factors that need to be considered.

A large number of Indian nationals or people of Indian-origin are living or working in the US, including students in various American universities. The US is also a tourism destination for many Indians.

Air India, which was taken over by the Tata Group in January last year, is on the revival path, according to the airline...

https://indianexpress.com/article/business/aviation/tata-group-air-india-plans-flights-los-angeles-boston-8863112/