Birmingham Airport beats the drum for important new service

Birmingham Airport has celebrated the launch of an important new service – a twice weekly non-stop service to Amritsar.

The main terminal was filled with Indian drummers and dancers, who mingled with passengers, MPs, business leaders and members of the UK’s Sikh community, at a ceremony to mark the launch of the new flights, which are being operated by Air India.

Amritsar complements the established Delhi service from the airport, which started in August 2013.

That service has carried more than 600,000 passengers in the four years it has operated from the airport. Managers at the airport are hopeful the new service will see similar passenger volumes.

William Pearson, Aviation Director, Birmingham Airport, said: “We are proud to say we are offering a totally unique route, as Birmingham is the only UK airport offering a direct service to Amritsar.

“The Midlands has the second largest Asian community in the UK and so it is great news that we are making more of India accessible to our passengers for business, leisure and to visit family and friends.”

Tara Naidu, Regional Manager – UK & Europe of Air India, said: “Amritsar is an important spiritual centre for the Sikh faith being home to the Golden Temple as well as being a major commercial and cultural centre in the heart of the Punjab.

“The Sikh community has long awaited this direct route and so we are sure it will be as popular as our Delhi service from Birmingham.”

Flights operate on Tuesdays and Thursdays, departing from Birmingham at 6.45pm, reaching Amritsar early the next morning at 7.45am. From Amritsar, the flight departs at 1.55pm local time, arriving into Birmingham at 5.15pm local time.

As with the Delhi service, the flights are being served by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 256 seats in a split cabin, comprising 18 flat beds business class seats and 238 economy seats.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner gets a water salute on its arrival in Birmingham

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