Air India to fly San Francisco from Bangalore

Bangalore, Sep 1: Air India will link Bangalore with San Francisco in 2008 with the flight operated through a new Boeing long haul aircraft, Mr V Thulsidas, Chairman and Managing Director of National Aviation Company of India Ltd (NACIL) said today.

Talking to newsmen here, he said that the flight would originate from the new International Airport coming up at Devanahalli. The Bangalore-San Francisco flight would become operation after New York was connected with separate flights from New Delhi and Mumbai.

NACIL, formed by the merger Air India and Indian, had become operational from today.

Mr Thulsidas who was here as President of the Aeronautical Society of India, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Royal Society of Aeronautical Society of United Kingdom for joint cooperation, said that Air India express would start more flights to South East Asian destinations. He said that steps were also on to buy more aircraft, but did not specify the time frame.

He said Air India would start a separate Cargo liner. He referred to the Air India tie up with Singapore Airlines for a cargo hub to be operated from the Bangalore International Airport Limited and said that a separate nine acre land had been acquired close to the Devanahalli airport for its operations.

He said that with the aviation sector witnessing a 25 per cent annual growth NACIL would be looking for encashing on the opportunity.

UNI