Air India launches Hyderabad-Washington flight

Air India on Saturday started a new flight connecting Washington with Hyderabad via Delhi.

GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. (GHIAL), which operates Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad, has announced establishing connectivity with Washington's Dulles International Airport.

An Air India 104 will operate on the route thrice a week. Washington is the second city in the US to be connected with Hyderabad after Chicago.

The US is the largest market for international travel to or from Hyderabad with over 675,000 annual passengers, GHIAL said in a statement.

"As the Gateway to the south and central India, we are glad to add Washington to our international network. This new service will provide a convenient option for travel between south and central India and Washington along with other nearby areas in the United States' East Coast, which is home to a large Indian diaspora especially from Telangana and nearby regions," said GHIAL CEO S.G.K. Kishore.

The new Air India flight will provide a smooth and hassle free experience, with passengers travelling from Washington being able to check-in their bags through to Hyderabad, and complete immigration and customs formalities after their arrival at Hyderabad.

Those travelling from Hyderabad to Washington too will enjoy similar benefits through Air India's existing international connector flights from Hyderabad Airport, which will offer seamless transfers onto the Washington flight at Delhi.

Kishore said Hyderabad Airport would also soon get connected with Sri Lanka giving an additional travel and tourism option to the passengers.

Hyderabad Airport handled 15.24 million passengers in 2016-17, registering a growth of 22 per cent in total passenger traffic and 23 per cent growth in air traffic movement over the previous financial year.

The airport connects 17 international destinations with 15 foreign and 3 Indian carriers and 10 domestic carriers connect Hyderabad with 35 domestic destinations.