When Air India non-stop wins
Air India flies non-stop in Business Class from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru to London, and from Delhi to San Francisco. On those routes a non-stop saves hours versus a one-stop Gulf or European routing. Its flights to New York and Toronto currently stop in Rome or Vienna for fuel, so compare total hours there; from Delhi, American flies non-stop to New York, United to Newark and Air Canada to Toronto. Air India's Airbus A350, a fully-flat 1-2-1 with closing-door suites, flies Delhi to New York and Newark; check the aircraft on other routes.
If your destination is one Air India serves non-stop and total travel time matters, it is usually the better choice even at a small price premium.
When the Gulf carriers win
Emirates (via Dubai) and Qatar Airways (via Doha) fly Business Class from far more Indian cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and beyond — and onward to almost anywhere. They are usually the cheapest Business Class option from India, and the Gulf hubs themselves are the lowest-priced premium long-haul routes from the country.
Qatar's Qsuite is widely rated the best Business Class cabin flying from India, with privacy doors and the only double-bed and quad "family" configurations. Emirates offers the A380 with its onboard bar and a complimentary chauffeur transfer. Choose a Gulf carrier when you want the newest hardware, the lowest fare, or a destination — much of Africa, Australia, South America — that India has no non-stop to.
How to decide (and book it cheap)
Rule of thumb: London or San Francisco on a time-sensitive trip → Air India; everything else, or a tight budget → Emirates or Qatar via the Gulf. For Europe, Lufthansa via Frankfurt or Munich and British Airways non-stop are also strong.
Whichever you pick, the fare gap between booking direct and booking through a contracted consolidator is typically 30–60%. An advisor prices Air India, Emirates, Qatar and the European carriers side by side on your exact dates and quotes the best value in INR.