(INDIA AIRWAYS)

Backgrounder Note

AIR INDIA ON THE UPSWING - LARGER FLEET AND EXPANDED NETWORK

Air India is India's finest flying Ambassador. The urge to excel and the enthusiasm, which characterised Air India's first flight, way back on October 15, 1932, is quintessential even today - thanks to Air Indians who have kept alive the tradition of flying high. The recent merger of Air India and Indian, the country's leader in the domestic sector, has helped the airline to emerge as a major force in the airline industry. The re-branding exercise is currently underway and passengers are getting to see the unified face of the new invigorated Air India. The merged entity, which presently has a fleet of 152 aircraft offers passengers seamless travel across domestic and international routes.

New Thrust

Air India is gradually expanding its fleet. Ten new aircraft - five B777-200LRs and five B777-300ERs have so far joined the fleet apart from eleven Airbus A-321s and eight A-319s enabling it to expand its network. On the international network Air India now operates 28 weekly services to three destinations in the USA - New York, Newark and Chicago including a daily NonStop flight between Mumbai-New York and Delhi-New York following the induction of brand new Boeing 777-200LR in its fleet. On the domestic front we operate to 60 cities out of which 21 are connected to our international destinations. The B777-200 LR, technologically the most advanced aircraft in the world today, offers passengers an era of unprecedented comfort. Passengers travelling on this aircraft have access to 400 hours of video and audio entertainment provided in every seat -- First, Executive or Economy Class. Plush, ergonomically designed wide seats with ample pitch give a never-before experience of space and privacy. Delectable Indian, Continental and Oriental cuisine - including Chinese, Thai and Japanese - accompanied by a fine selection of wines from across the world makes the journey a rare treat. Specially trained ground and inflight crew in brand new designer uniforms take care of the passengers' needs on board the flight. The 172 seater A321 has been deployed on all metro routes of the domestic network, including all flights on the Delhi-Mumbai route. It offers in-flight entertainment on the i3000 Thales entertainment system with LCD monitor and touch screen facility for each seat. The Executive class has a capacity of 20 seats with 2 abreast seating and a pitch of 40 inches while the Economy class has a seat pitch of 30/31 inches.