Birmingham Airport confirms new Air India flights
SPECULATION that direct flights between Birmingham and India are set to resume later this summer have been confirmed – as predicted by TheBusinessDesk.com last week.
Birmingham Airport and Air India have announced a four-time weekly service between the two cities from August 1. The service will be operated by the airline’s new Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft.
Flights will operate each Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, arriving from Delhi into Birmingham at 7pm and departing to Delhi from 9.30pm.
Tickets for the new service are already on sale and understood to be very popular.
The 256 seat B787-8 series aircraft has a split cabin, consisting of 18 business class and 238 economy seats. Birmingham is only the second UK airport to operate dedicated Boeing 787 scheduled services.
This is the first time the Indian flag carrier has used the airport since moving its Delhi-Amritsar-Birmingham-Toronto service to Heathrow in 2008 in order to protect its slots there.
Various campaigns have been mounted in the intervening five years to try and entice the airline back; the latest in 2010 was backed with the submission of a 20,000-strong petition to the Indian aviation minister.
Martyn Lloyd, Commercial Director of Birmingham Airport, said: “This is fantastic news for our region and we’re delighted that Air India has recognised the strong demand that lies in our catchment and will be operating the new Dreamliner aircraft on the route.
“There’s been significant support from the City (Birmingham), and indeed the region, for a direct service to India and we’re pleased to see that direct flights are now available on a brand new aircraft which will give passengers a fantastic experience. We also thank everyone involved who has worked tirelessly to make this happen, particularly our Brand Ambassador for Asian Markets, Uday Dholakia.”
Civic and business leaders have welcomed the announcement.
Sir Albert Bore, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “Birmingham has a proud reputation as a diverse city, with residents from the wider Indian subcontinent the fastest growing group, according to the 2011 census. It makes a great deal of sense for there to be a direct flight between Delhi and Birmingham, rather than just London, and so I am delighted that Air India will be operating flights to India. I am sure the service will also be welcomed by the Midlands’ business and leisure community.”
According to FDI Markets, the West Midlands receives more foreign direct investment from India than any other region outside London. Globally, the UK is the third largest recipient of Indian investment, behind only the UAE and the USA.
Neil Rami, CEO of Marketing Birmingham, added: “This really is a major step forward for us. The city has a strong track record in attracting Indian investment – due to its close links to other European locations and strengths in sectors such as manufacturing and logistics – which has supported some 24,000 local jobs in the past decade. Air India’s commitment to a direct route to Delhi is a significant development in securing and growing further Indian investment and tourism into Birmingham.”
