NEW DELHI: Omicron may have delayed resumption of regular international flights but India’s connectivity with the world is growing under the bubble system.
For the first time since March 2020, India will again be directly connected with Switzerland from next year. Swiss will start Zurich-Mumbai twice-weekly nonstops from January 10. The airline will connect Delhi with Zurich from March, 2022.
Indian and German carriers can now have 15 flights (by each side) weekly, up from 10 earlier. Air India and Vistara can have 15 flights between India and Germany and so can Lufthansa. The German mega carrier is using the queen of the skies, Boeing 747, on Frankfurt to Delhi and Bengaluru and Airbus A340 on Mumbai route.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) on Friday announced it will deploy the world’s largest commercial airliner — the double decker Airbus A380 — on India routes for the first time since March 2020.
From January 10, 2022, it its A380 will replace the Airbus A350-900 on services between Mumbai and Singapore. And from February 14, 2022, SIA will operate the A380 in place of the Boeing 787-10 on services between Delhi and Singapore.
SIA A380 is configured with 471 seats in four classes: six Suites and 78 business seats on the upper deck and 44 premium economy Class and 343 economy seats on the main deck.
SIA GM (India) Sy Yen Chen said: “The return of the A380 to India is a special occasion for us as this superjumbo aircraft has always been a popular choice for our customers. Ever since we resumed operations from India, we have seen a steadily growing demand for our vaccinated travel lane (VTL) flights to Singapore. We look forward to welcoming our customers back on board the world’s largest passenger aircraft.”
