According to flight schedules, Air India will fly its 787-8 Dreamliner from Delhi, India to Washington D.C. starting January, a straight-line distance of 6,522 nautical miles. However, according to Air India’s website, the range of the aircraft with passengers and baggage is 6,600 nautical miles. There’s not much room for error if the aircraft is filled to capacity. Can the airline really use its Dreamliner on this route?
Currently, Air India operates its Delhi-D.C. service using a Boeing 777-300ER which has a range of 7,370 nautical miles – a fair bit more than the 787-8. According to Air India’s website, its 777-300ER in a three-class configuration transports over 340 passengers.
However, there must be a real lack of demand if the airline has plans to change the aircraft to the much smaller 787-8. Search for tickets on this route after January 8th and you’ll see that it’s no longer the 777-300ER.
The smaller 787-8 carries 256 passengers in two classes according to Air India. We understand that aircraft changes would occur because of decreased demand, but the technical specifications just don’t seem to add up.
As we mentioned above, Delhi, India to Washington D.C. is a straight-line distance of 6,522 nautical miles. Compare this number to the airline’s stated range of 6,600 nautical miles (with only passengers and baggage, no cargo) and you’ll realize that it’s cutting things close.
In fact, Air India flys its Dreamliners on shorter routes with nothing coming close to DEL-IAD. According to Airport Spotting, Air India uses its 787-8s on routes that mostly lie within the 3,500 to 3,800 nautical mile range. Here are some examples of longer routes:
Bangalore to London Heathrow (4,348nm)
Delhi to Sydney (5,627nm)
Delhi to Melbourne (5,494nm)
07/12/19 Chris Loh/Simple Flying
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Currently, Air India operates its Delhi-D.C. service using a Boeing 777-300ER which has a range of 7,370 nautical miles – a fair bit more than the 787-8. According to Air India’s website, its 777-300ER in a three-class configuration transports over 340 passengers.
However, there must be a real lack of demand if the airline has plans to change the aircraft to the much smaller 787-8. Search for tickets on this route after January 8th and you’ll see that it’s no longer the 777-300ER.
The smaller 787-8 carries 256 passengers in two classes according to Air India. We understand that aircraft changes would occur because of decreased demand, but the technical specifications just don’t seem to add up.
As we mentioned above, Delhi, India to Washington D.C. is a straight-line distance of 6,522 nautical miles. Compare this number to the airline’s stated range of 6,600 nautical miles (with only passengers and baggage, no cargo) and you’ll realize that it’s cutting things close.
In fact, Air India flys its Dreamliners on shorter routes with nothing coming close to DEL-IAD. According to Airport Spotting, Air India uses its 787-8s on routes that mostly lie within the 3,500 to 3,800 nautical mile range. Here are some examples of longer routes:
Bangalore to London Heathrow (4,348nm)
Delhi to Sydney (5,627nm)
Delhi to Melbourne (5,494nm)
07/12/19 Chris Loh/Simple Flying
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