New Delhi:
As it plans to expand operations to the US besides launching services to Canada, the Air India board has approved a proposal seeking to induct the wide-bodied Boeing 787-9aircraft in the fleet.
Air India will lease seven B787-900 planes, the higher range of B787-8 aircraft, for which the Board has given its go-ahead, Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani said.
"The board's approval for leasing of seven B787-900 planes has come by", Lohani told PTI.
The airline currently has 23 B787-800 planes among others in its fleet, and four more of these aircraft are expected to be delivered to it between July and October this year.
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Air India has proposed a host of international destinations for launch this year as part of its overseas expansion plans.
The national carrier is looking to launch one more destination in the US this year in addition to Washington DC,which will commence operations from July, Lohani said.
At present Los Angeles, Dallas and Houston are being explored and air services to one of them could start later this year, he said.
Air India is also mulling launching flights to either Vancouver or Toronto in Canada from New Delhi going forward, according to Lohani.
Plans are also afoot to increase frequency to Australia and to look at routes in Africa by connecting Mumbai with Mauritius or Nairobi, he added.
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The Air India CMD also said that flight services to the Danish capital Copenhagen are now likely to start from August instead of May. Air India will also be commencing operations directly to Israel next month.
