Ranchi, May 15: From tomorrow, Air India passengers to Delhi would be able to check the temperature outside and the distance covered as they watch their favourite TV channel with legs stretched.

The airline, known as Indian until it merged with Air India, has decided to replace the Airbus 319 with the more comfortable Airbus 321 in the Ranchi-Delhi sector.

The Airbus 321 has 50 more seats than the Airbus 319 that was being used, which made its last flight in Ranchi-Delhi-Mumbai sector today. Airbus 319 has 122 seats, excluding eight executive class seats, but Airbus 321 would have 20 executive class seats.

The facilities offered by the Airbus 321 are available only in some select sectors, said Satish Kumar Bage, station manager of Air India in Ranchi. The A321, as it is popularly know, would have the facilities that airlines offer to fliers to Calcutta, Delhi, Mumbai and Chandigarh.

The seats in the economy class can recline up to 45 degrees, while the seats in the executive class can be pushed back to 60 degrees, thereby providing more leg space. The A321 also has a user-friendly lavatory for the differently-abled. “The new aircraft also has specially designed lavatories for the differently-abled,” said Air India’s station manager in Ranchi.

Apart from Air India, Deccan, JetLite and MDLR also operate in the Ranchi-Delhi sector. But airline companies report a waiting list of passengers. A phenomenon, they say, unusual in other air sectors. Air India wants to cash in on this increased demand for tickets. Introducing A321, officials said, would mean attracting customers of other airlines.

“We had to replace the Airbus 319 with a bigger aircraft as the demand for air tickets in the Ranchi-Delhi sector had increased,” said Bage.