Air India has begun operating its flagship A350-900 aircraft on non-stop flights between Delhi and Newark’s Liberty International Airport (EWR) as the first flight with this configuration took off earlier today. This follows Air India’s A350 service on the Delhi-New York (JFK) inaugurated on November 1, 2024.

In a press statement, Air India says that now it serves all non-stop flights between India’s capital and the New York region with its A350 aircraft, offering its all-new interiors, which include private suites in Business Class and a Premium Economy cabin, and a new Inflight Entertainment (IFE) system, enhanced catering, and new service ware.

The Business Class cabin featured 28 private suites in a 1-2-1 configuration, each accommodating a fully flat bed. Each suite offers direct aisle access, sliding privacy doors, and a personal wardrobe. Additionally, passengers on the aircraft can enjoy WiFi internet connectivity on board along with over 3,000 hours of entertainment content across formats and genres, including 1,400 hours of movies and 850 hours of TV.

According to the statement, presently, Air India is the only non-stop carrier between the United States and India to offer private suites in Business Class.

The statement adds that to celebrate the launch, the airline’s cabin crew, adorning newly designed uniforms by Indian designer Manish Malhotra, recreated iconic New York City moments at some of the city’s landmarks featured in globally popular Hollywood and Bollywood movies.

The team recreated one of the most influential photographs of all time, the iconic ‘Lunch Atop a Skyscraper’ photograph from 1932, which featured ironworkers taking a casual lunch break on a towering skyscraper beam during the construction of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

The photo shoot also involved the cabin crew enjoying candid moments at other iconic landmarks including the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET), Gapstow Bridge at Central Park, Times Square and the Sutton Place Park amongst others.