BENGALURU: After traversing a distance of 15,553 kms, the first non-stop flight from Benglauru to the United States, one of the longest flight journeys by an Indian airline, reached San Francisco International Airport on Tuesday, well before its scheduled time. The 15-hour and 14 minute journey did not go via the North Pole route as was done when the Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft arrived at Bengaluru on Monday but flew over the Pacific Ocean.
AI 175, which took off from the Kempegowda International Airport at 3.09 pm, suffered a 39-minute delay, due to secondary security checks at boarding gate which were in line with the stringent rules laid down by the US Transport Security Administration for entry into its country.
There were 220 passengers, including an infant, on board the flight which reached at 4.55 pm (6.25 am Indian time) on Tuesday. It was expected to take 16.5 hours, according to a senior Air India official.
