NEW DELHI: The inaugural flight of Air India’s longest direct route — San Francisco (SFO) – Bengaluru (BLR) with four women pilots has taken off on Sunday morning.
The four — Captains Zoya Aggarwal, Papagari Thanmai, Akansha Sonaware and Shivani Manhas — became the first all-women crew to operate a flight over the North Pole on their way to BLR. They are operating a Boeing 777 200 (long range or LR) VT-ALG — named ‘Kerala’. The SFO airport is wearing the colours of the Indian flag to celebrate this occasion.
“And Countdown begins! Minutes away from take off of our nonstop flight frm San Fransisco – Bengaluru. Air India scripted history as all women cockpit crew rolls out AI176 on its record-making around the world voyage, possibly charting the Polar route from SFO to BLR,” AI Tweeted Sunday morning.
