American Airlines has resumed services to India as the carrier’s first flight to the country in nearly a decade landed in New Delhi from New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport last week. The world’s largest airline by fleet size will operate the flight as a daily service around the year, hoping to capitalise on a global travel rebound because of eased COVID-19 restrictions. The airline last operated in India on the Chicago-Delhi route in 2012. The United States lifted all restrictions for fully vaccinated international travellers, including from India, from November 8. The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has also acknowledged the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) emergency use listing (EUL) to India’s indigenous vaccine Covaxin, developed by Bharat Biotech.

“With the easing of travel between global destinations, and with more routes and options being made available soon, international travel is expected to gain huge momentum,” Molly Wilkinson, Vice President – Regulatory & International Affairs, American Airlines said in a statement.

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The launch of American Airlines’ Seattle-Bengaluru flight will take a few more months than the earlier expected date of January 4, 2022. India’s national carrier Air India, which was recently acquired by Tata Sons, connects India to US cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington DC. United Airlines also connects Delhi with Newark and San Francisco.

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Delta is yet to resume its services to India following the March 2020 halt due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Travellers flying between India and the US also take connecting flights via Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, etc. However, traffic on non-stop routes is expected to gather momentum in the aftermath of the pandemic, according to aviation industry executives.

The airline industry as a whole is still reeling from last year’s roughly $138 billion net loss, according to Associated Press. The International Air Transport Association forecasts a net loss of $11.6 billion for airlines in 2022, and nearly $52 billion in losses this year.