New Delhi, Mar 8 (PTI): On International Women’s Day, national carrier Air India will be flying 12 international flights and over 40 domestic flights with an all-women crew.

Air India is set to fly 12 all-women crew flights on its medium and long-haul international routes and over 40 return domestic and short-haul flights all over India to celebrate the International Women's Day on March 8 this year, it said in a statement.

The international sectors that will have the all-women crew on its flights on March 8 are Delhi-Sydney, Mumbai-London, Delhi-Rome, Delhi-London, Mumbai-Delhi-Shanghai, Delhi-Paris, Mumbai-Newark, Mumbai-New York, Delhi-New York, Delhi-Washington, Delhi-Chicago and Delhi-San Francisco.

"Women pilots and cabin crew will be operating Airbus family aircraft as well as dreamliners to over 40 domestic destinations and back to commemorate the occasion," the airline added.

Air India's Chairman and Managing Director Ashwini Lohani said, "I would like to congratulate our women crew for operating so many flights on various international and domestic routes fuelled by their indomitable 'nari shakti' (women power)."

Air India will be deploying its B787 Dreamliners and B777s aircraft to operate the aforementioned 12 international flights.

Upgrade to business class, roseds and more

Besides Air India, other airlines have also decided to mark the occasion in their own special way.

GoAir said all women travellers will be eligible for a complimentary upgrade to its business class across its network depending on "availability as well as on first-come-first serve basis".

SpiceJet will be operating 22 flights with all-women crew to mark the day.

Women flyers will also be offered 'priority check-in' and 'priority boarding' besides a welcome rose while boarding, it said, adding depending on the availability they will also be offered an upgrade to a Spicemax seat.

Following the footsteps of Air India, Alliance Air, the regional arm of Air India, will take to the skies in one of its aircrafts with an all-women crew.

An all-women crew flight will take off from New Delhi to Dharamsala and fly back to the national capital under the captainship of Ashna Acharya and co-pilot Kanika Sharma, Alliance Air said in a statement.

There will also be cultural programmes at the airline's office, celebrating the various colours of the culture represented by Alliance Air women employees, it said.

Private carrier Jet Airways plans to operate four domestic flights--- Mumbai-New Delhi-Mumbai and Mumbai- Bengaluru-Mumbai--- with an all-women crew.

Besides the crew, the other functions involved in operating a flight such as engineering, ground handling and ground services, the security would all have the women exclusively managing the show, the Jet said.

The airline will also surprise select women guests on-board these flights by presenting them with gift hampers, where each goody bag will contain gifts from top-notch brands, it said.

Jet Airways is supporting the work of two leading NGOs working on women's issues. The airline has said it will contribute the benefits of these in-flight collection proceeds to an NGO which aims to empower the underprivileged women and girls through education, technical skills and employment generation.