DALLAS - Air India (AI) announced that it will increase the frequency of its flights between Delhi (DEL) and Vancouver (YVR) from three flights a week to a daily service. This increase in frequency will be effective starting August 31, and all flights will be operated using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

According to airlinedata.com, this means the airline will now offer over 10,000 seats every month between the two cities, compared to just under 5,000 seats before the change. Air Canada (AC) previously operated the route but stopped the non-stop service as AI was adding more flights to the route. These two airlines are both part of Star Alliance and have codeshare agreements, which means they are not competing on the route.

This increase in frequency, and therefore in capacity, is due to the uptick in passenger demand as the industry recovers from the pandemic. The airline is also restoring grounded aircraft as it is ramping up its international capacity following its purchase by Tata Group. The airline is currently in talks with Airbus for the renewal of its long-haul fleet.

The carrier said that these new aircraft returning to the skies will help the airline increase its frequencies and grow its network. AI plans to ramp up long-haul capacity with frequency increases and to open new routes.

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CEO Comments

Campbell Wilson, the Chief Executive Officer of AI, said, "This increase in our frequency between Delhi and Vancouver is very welcome for many reasons. It is another sign of recovery from the pandemic and caters to strong customer demand."

He added, "More importantly, it marks the first step in restoring Air India's fleet and international network. We are pleased to mark this significant milestone, and the team at Air India is hard at work to enable more expansion in the near future."

With this capacity increase, AI is starting the expansion of its long-haul flight offer as its operations recover from the pandemic and financial difficulties.