Monday, February 21 2005 10:33 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Seattle (US): With its US operations becoming the second largest source of revenue for Air-India, the national carrier has lined up a major expansion plan with more frequencies and links to other destinations beginning next month.

The airline is planning to connect Chicago and Los Angeles with a daily frequency from March 28 as against six and five services respectively at present.

Delhi is to be connected thrice weekly with Los Angeles via Frankfurt while four flights would be operated out of Mumbai, Air-India Public Relations Director Jitender Bhargava told Indian media in Seattle on the eve of the delivery of the first of three leased Boeing 737-800 aircraft for the budget carrier, AI Express, which is scheduled to be launched from April connecting Kerala to the Gulf region.

Bhargava said that with US accounting for a 20 per cent growth in revenues last year (Rs 900 crore) after the India region, which was around Rs 1,100 crore, the airline was planning to link Mumbai-Delhi with San Francisco, Houston and Washington in the next 12 months by taking more aircraft on lease, pending the fleet expansion proposal.

Presently it has taken on lease five Boeing 747-400s, two 777s and 11 Airbus A310s apart from the 14 Boeing 737-800s that it plans to take for the no frills airline, AI Express.