Air India expands Asia footprint with new routes to Vietnam and Japan

New Delhi: Air India today announced the launch of two new international routes as part of its continued expansion across Asia. Beginning 01 May 2026, Air India will operate non-stop flights between Delhi and Hanoi, thus making Hanoi the airline’s second gateway in Vietnam after Ho Chi Minh City. Air India will also operate non-stop flights between Mumbai and Tokyo (Haneda) from 15 June 2026, in addition to its Delhi-Tokyo (Haneda) services.

Enabling flexible Open Jaw itineraries to and from Vietnam

The new services to Hanoi will operate five times a week, complementing daily flights to Ho Chi Minh City. This provides greater flexibility to travellers who intend to visit Vietnam with open jaw itineraries, i.e. entering from Hanoi and exiting Ho Chi Minh City or vice versa.

Air India will deploy its A320neo aircraft on the Delhi-Hanoi route, featuring world-class cabin interiors across Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy Class. The opening of this new route adds 7,028 seats to and from Vietnam each month.

Air India flights to and from Vietnam enable convenient connections to several destinations across the airline’s domestic and international route networks, including the United Kingdom and rest of Europe.

Boosting connectivity to Japan

The new services between Mumbai and Tokyo (Haneda) will operate four times a week with Air India’s Boeing 787-8 aircraft.

Recently, Air India increased frequency between Delhi and Tokyo (Haneda), going from 4x weekly to 7x weekly. Effective 14 February 2026, the airline has also upgraded its product offering on the route with its B787-9 aircraft, featuring world-class cabin interiors and introducing Premium Economy on the route for the first time.

With this, Air India guests travelling to Japan now experience a transformed onboard flying experience with new cabin interiors, modern inflight entertainment systems, WiFi internet connectivity, and refreshed inflight meal menus and beverage collection.

Air India has an active codeshare partnership with fellow Star Alliance member airline, All Nippon Airways (ANA), to provide its guests convenient onward connections from Tokyo Haneda to 6 other major cities in Japan, namely Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Nagoya, Okinawa, Osaka, and Sapporo.

Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer, Air India, said: “Since Air India’s privatisation, we have significantly grown our network across Southeast Asia and the Far East, having added several new routes, optimised flight schedules to enable convenient cross-continent connections, forged new partnerships with other carriers, and deploying upgraded cabin products progressively.”

He added: “Japan and Vietnam have both emerged as fast-growing destinations for Indian travellers, while India’s economic and commercial ties with both nations continue to deepen and present more opportunities for business and trade on both sides. The launch of these new routes supports this growth and strengthens our presence in the region.”

Japan has rapidly emerged as one of the fastest-growing outbound destinations for Indian travellers. According to the Japan National Tourism Organisation, over 3,15,000 Indians visited Japan in 2025, representing a 35% increase over 2024 and nearly 80% growth compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Vietnam continues to gain popularity among leisure travellers and corporate groups alike for its soaring tourism and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) movements. The country now ranks as the third-most-visited country in Southeast Asia, having recorded over 20 million visitors in 2025.