Business representatives to start lobbying for Air India flights to Yorkshire

INDIA’S flag carrier airline Air India will tonight hear why it should add Yorkshire to its global destinations.

Representatives from the Yorkshire Asian Business Association (YABA) and Leeds Bradford Airport are in London to present at a Microsoft-hosted event focused on collaborations with India.

The meeting, which will also hear from Cobra Beer founder and chairman Lord Bilimoria, follows on from discussions in November when the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) met with YABA in Leeds.

Tony Hallwood, aviation development director at Leeds Bradford Airport, and YABA chairman Amarjit Singh are part of the delegation that will be lobbying to add a route that would provide a significant boost for both the airport and for international trade in the region.

Mr Singh hopes that tonight will be the start of strategic links between Yorkshire’s international airport, Air India and FICCI.

He said: “We are trying to encourage and facilitate the relationship between Air India, Leeds Bradford Airport and FICCI, which represents 200,000 Indian businesses, some of which are keen to create joint ventures or work in partnership with UK businesses.”