Air India commenced the first ever flight between Ahmedabad to Newark via London. The Flight AI 171 took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 05:00 hrs on August 15, 2016. The flight is receiving immense response from the passengers and not only inaugural flight but all bookings till September 16 are sold out.
The first passenger to check in was handed the boarding pass by Chief Guest, Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Minister, Revenue, Education (Primary, Secondary and Adult), Higher and Technical Education, Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs, Govt of Gujarat.
The B787 flight to Newark will be the first commercial operation of the aircraft to the US from India. It will meet a long standing need and demand of more than six lakh Indians in Ahmedabad and expatriates in Newark and neighbouring cities as well as off locals visiting the Indian sub-continent, who have been looking for seamless connections for work and leisure travel to Newark and London. The flight will give a boost to tourism as well, as Air India offers convenient connections from Ahmedabad to Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai for onward travel to places of interest and tourism within the country. This flight has generated a lot of enthusiasm in the Indian diaspora in UK and US.
AI-171 will operate three days a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
Speaking on the occasion, Ashwani Lohani, Chairman and Managing Director, Air India said, “Air India is happy to start this new flight on August 15, 2016. It is a dream fulfilled for the people of Ahmedabad on India’s 70th Independence Day. This is the third international flight introduced by Air India and we shall be launching flights to more international destinations soon.”
Chudasama, who was the Chief Guest for the inaugural flight said, “This flight was eagerly awaited by the people of Gujarat and has evoked an enthusiastic response. Besides, this flight would also be instrumental in attracting people from all over the world to travel to Gujarat and vice-versa.”
