Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday informed that direct flight from Mumbai to San Francisco will boost the state's industrial and tourism sectors. CM Eknath Shinde also said that the direct service will connect America's Silicon Valley to Mumbai and Pune, and will benefit the information technology sector of Maharashtra. This will be the third Indian city after Delhi and Bengaluru to have a direct flight to San Francisco, which is reportedly home to many Indian nationals. The flight will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays with the newly-inducted Boeing 777-200LR aircraft.
The first flight AI 179 from Mumbai to San Francisco left the city at 2:30 pm to reach San Francisco at 5 pm (local time) on the same day. The return flight AI 180 will depart from San Francisco at 9 pm (local time) to arrive in Mumbai at 3:40 am +1 day. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday inaugurated Air India's direct flight between Mumbai and San Francisco. The flight will be operated thrice a week. Shinde joined the event virtually from Mumbai, while Scindia and other officials were in the national capital. Air India, on Thursday, flagged off the first-ever non-stop flight between Mumbai to San Francisco. The development comes after the launch of the carrier’s three-times-a-week flight from Bengaluru to San Francisco on December 2.