'We are thrilled...' London's Heathrow airport welcomes Air India new Airbus A350

London's Heathrow airport welcomed Air India's new flight operating from Delhi on Wednesday.

Taking to social media, the airport handle on X posted, "We're thrilled to welcome Air India's Airbus A350 to Heathrow. Operating twice daily from Heathrow to Delhi, offering a premium experience with upgraded cabins and enhanced in-flight entertainment."

Air India has launched its new flagship aircraft, the Airbus A350, on the Delhi-Heathrow route, marking the A350's debut on long-haul flights. This introduction is the first time in over a decade that an Indian airline has added a new aircraft type to its fleet. 

The carrier began receiving its A350s in December as part of its extensive order of 470 Airbus and Boeing planes. Of the 40 A350s ordered by Air India in 2023, six have already entered service.

Previously, the A350s, which also introduced Air India's new brand identity and upgraded product this year, were used for domestic flights and short international routes, such as Delhi to Dubai. This experience has paved the way for their deployment on longer international routes. The A350's extended range enables Air India to serve most global destinations in its network.

In a standard three-class configuration, the A350-900 can accommodate 300-350 passengers and has a range of over 15,000 km, according to Airbus data. Air India's A350-900s are configured with 316 seats—28 in business class, 24 in premium economy, and 264 in economy class.

"The introduction of the A350s on the Delhi-London Heathrow route is a significant milestone for Air India. It reflects our dedication to enhancing our guests' travel experience to world-class standards and exceeding customer expectations as we continue to expand and modernize our fleet," said Campbell Wilson, Air India’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director.

The A350-900s will replace the Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on 14 of the 17 weekly flights between Delhi and London Heathrow, adding an extra 336 seats to the route each week.

With this new aircraft deployment, Air India will upgrade 90 percent of its flights to London Heathrow. Recently, the airline also introduced upgraded Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on the Mumbai-London Heathrow route.