Air India will start operating its first A350 aircraft on the domestic routes from January 22, with the first flight from Bengaluru to Mumbai.

The A350-900 aircraft will have a three-class cabin configuration with 316 seats. There will be 28 business class, 24 premium economy and 264 economy seats.

"India's first Airbus A350 will enter commercial service on 22 January 2024," the airline said in a release on Monday.

Initially, the aircraft will be deployed on domestic routes for crew familiarisation and regulatory compliance purposes.

The plane will operate flights from Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai, the release said.

"The A350 aircraft will be later deployed for longer-haul flights to destinations across continents," it added.

Air India on Monday started bookings for the flights to be operated by the A350.

The airline's first of the 20 A350-900 aircraft landed in the national capital on December 23.

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