Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], January 15 (ANI): Air India on Friday announced the commencement of its first-ever non-stop services between Hyderabad and Chicago, which will fulfil a long-standing demand for a direct air-link between the two major cities.

"Air India continues to add wind beneath its wings to bring India and the USA closer with the commencement of its first-ever non-stop services between Hyderabad and Chicago. Coming close on the heels of the launch of the non-stop Bengaluru-San Francisco service, this flight is going to fulfil a long-standing demand for a direct air-link between the two major cities," the airline said in an official release.

The flight from Chicago to Hyderabad will operate on Wednesdays.

"The flight AI 108 from Chicago to Hyderabad will operate on Wednesdays. The first flight left Chicago on time at 21:30 hrs (Local Time/LT) on 13th January 2021 and will arrive at Hyderabad at 0040 hrs (LT) on 15th January 2021. The return flight AI-107 from Hyderabad to Chicago which operates once a week every Friday will depart from Hyderabad at 1250 hrs to arrive in Chicago at 1805 hrs(LT) on the same day," it added.

The flight, a Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, will operate with a seating capacity of 238 including 8 First Class, 35 Business Class,195 Economy class configuration besides 4 Cockpit and 12 Cabin crew.

This service will facilitate seamless connectivity to other interline destinations ensuring faster and smoother accessibility to cities in neighboring states via short domestic flights.

The total flight time on this route will be approx 16 hours 45 minutes from Hyderabad to Chicago and approx 15hrs 40 minutes vice versa. Hyderabad being a gateway to South and Central India will connect Air India's direct flight from Chicago with domestic connections to Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Bengaluru, and Chennai.

At present, Air India operates non-stop flights from Delhi to New York, Newark, Washington DC, San Francisco, and Chicago, from Mumbai to Newark and New York, and our very recent addition from Bengaluru to San Francisco. (ANI)