Air India to launch non-stop Delhi-Osaka flights from February 2027

Air India will launch nonstop flights between Delhi and Osaka from February 2 2027 becoming the only airline to operate direct services on the route the airline announced on ThursdayThe airline will operate four weekly flights between Delhi and Kansai International Airport in Osaka using its Boeing 7878 aircraft The new service aims to strengthen air connectivity between India and Japan amid growing demand for travel between the two countriesOsaka will become Air Indiarsquos second destination in Japan after Tokyo Haneda The airline currently operates daily flights between Delhi and Tokyo along with four weekly services between Mumbai and TokyoDelhiOsaka flights Schedule and timingsThe new service flight AI360 will depart Delhi at 1050 pm on Tuesdays Thursdays Saturdays and Sundays arriving in Osaka at 950 am the following dayThe return service AI359 will operate on Mondays Wednesdays Fridays and Sundays It will depart Osaka at 1150 am and arrive in Delhi at 620 pm on the same dayAll timings are local Bookings for the new route are being progressively opened through Air Indiarsquos official website mobile app customer contact centre airport ticketing offices and travel agents worldwideAir India offers flexible multicity travel optionsThe new route will allow travellers to book openjaw itineraries flying into Osaka and returning from Tokyo or vice versa This option is expected to benefit Indian tourists planning multicity trips across JapanOsaka is a key stop on Japanrsquos popular Golden Route which also includes Tokyo and Kyoto Air India said the service would cater to growing interest among Indian travellers in Japanrsquos tourism cultural and culinary experiences alongside deepening business ties between the two countriesThe Boeing 7878 aircraft deployed on the route will feature 18 fullflat beds in Business Class and 241 seats in Economy ClassIndian visitors to Japan rise 35 per cent in 2025Japan is gaining popularity among Indian travellers More than 315000 Indians visited the country in 2025 marking a 35 per cent increase over 2024 and nearly 80 per cent growth compared with prepandemic levels according to the Japan National Tourism Organisation JNTOThe increase has been driven by growing interest in Japanrsquos leisure cultural and culinary experiences as well as stronger business and peopletopeople ties between the two countriesAir India continues fleet and network expansionThe Air India Group comprises fullservice carrier Air India and value carrier Air India Express The group employs more than 30000 people and operates over 300 aircraft serving 60 domestic and 51 international destinations across five continents according to the airlineAfter returning to Tata Sons in 2022 following 70 years under government ownership Air India launched its fiveyear transformation programme VihaanAI As part of the programme the airline has placed orders for 600 new aircraft and is progressively retrofitting its legacy fleetThe group also operates an aviation training academy in Gurugram and is developing a new flying school and a greenfield maintenance base