Air India has recently taken deliveries of the Airbus Industrie A350-941, also known for its eye-mask that makes it look like a racoon. One of the most advanced commercial aircrafts in the world, this proves that Air India is heading to a new direction! These aircraft’s were originally destined for Russian carrier Aeroflot. But due to international sanctions, Aeroflot was unable to take delivery of these planes and Air India seized the opportunity to acquire them. I have had the luck of flying on them twice, once on the inaugural flight from Mumbai to Chennai and second from Delhi to Mumbai. This trip report will be about my experience on the airliner.
My heart dropped on hearing the announcement of my flight AI805 being delayed. But its classic Air India tradition to be delayed. I had nothing to kill my time, on top of it my smartphone’s battery was low but then my aircraft VT-JRH arrived at the gate. I spent the next 10 minutes admiring the new livery on this gorgeous aircraft. Although I am a hardcore Boeing fan, the A350 is definitely in my top 5 favourite aircrafts! After boarding I was greeted by the lovely interior of the aircraft.
I was seated on 25A, overlooking the wing. I have to say the window shades were VERY flimsy and made a lot of noise when opened or closed. Got a pair of earphones and a pillow which I surely wasn’t going to use. The seats are comfortable with enough legroom to keep you from feeling claustrophobic.
IFE’s have always been a hot topic with Air India, most of their aircrafts have broken down old IFE’s. However the A350 has 12 inch touch screen monitors with a huge variety of songs, TV serials, movies and gizmos to keep us AvGeek’s occupied. You can choose from 2 cam views, Nose cam and Tail cam. Which as the name suggests show you a POV from the tail and from behind the nose landing gear.
The stewards didn’t have to demonstrate the safety measures anymore, which took my by surprise! They just stand near the exits and show where the doors are situated, the rest is shown in the safety video. After dimming the lights, we took off. It didn’t take much long to reach 10,000 feet where the seatbelt signs are usually turned off. I was glad the IFE’s had a C-Type USB port which saved the day!
There wasn’t much to look out of the window, so I ended up watching my all time favorite movie, Cars. The earphones are quite terrible, but they definitely do the job as I was able to enjoy McQueen’s V8 roars. I had racked up quite an appetite as I skipped lunch to eagerly try the dinner service, which had dessert too! Halfway through the movie, the steward asked me what will be my meal of choice? I chose the vegetarian meal. Which consisted of Corn Spinach Gravy, Dal, Rice, Custard, a Bun, Curd accompanied with a bottle of water. I remember the time when Jet Airways gave metal cutlery instead of plastic which has become a common practice amongst airlines now.
The food was okay, one cannot truly judge airline food as your tastebuds lose some amount of sense of taste when you are up in the air. The Spinach Gravy however could do well with a bit of salt. My neighbour however was unhappy as he was stuck with the veg meal as they ran out of non-veg, pre-booking is not too hard fellas. Don’t get mad at the stewards for not reading your mind and reserving your choice of meal. Anyways, I was very exhausted and the seats were comfortable enough for me to not notice when I started snoring. Due to heavy traffic at Mumbai we were asked to hold, when I got my chance to relieve myself.
The lavatory may seem cramped for people with a larger build, but its cozy and pretty clean. It was almost time to land, I had no energy to record a landing video which I often do, so I was hooked to the nose cam. We did experience some turbulent weather, which I really enjoy as it adds some thrill to an otherwise uneventful flight. We were coming closer to Mumbai and I really did not want the flight to end, mostly because I was sleep deprived but I also found myself liking the A350 even more!
The lights were dimmed for landing and I watched as we came closer to the ground, slowly crossing Vashi, Vikhroli, Ghatkopar, Jari Mari and touchdown! Kudos to the pilot for making a butter smooth touchdown at Mumbai, however I was secretly praying for a go-around, but luck wasn’t on my side. It all came to an end, I didn’t want to vacate my seat, it was a sad moment for me. So, I waited till everyone left to visit the cockpit. And luck was not in my favour again! The pilots had left and so did my chance of seeing the cockpit. Disappointed, I had a quick chat with the crew, which cheered me up.
AI’s business class product looks very promising. It still has the Aeroflot’s Blue and Red color seats which you will get to see in all the ex-Aeroflot a350’s bought by Air India. Although I haven’t experienced it, I am sure its a great place to be in, or should I say “Definitely the place to be in.” Their flagship product comes with a lie flat bed, some privacy, compartments to store your valuables, a big touchscreen and great legroom. Overall, it was a good experience flying the revamped national carrier, functioning in all its glory. Air India is expected to do better with the Tata’s now in control of the airline. Let me know if you have travelled in the new A350’s. A special thanks to my dear friend Viswanath for letting us use his picture for the featured image.