While British Gujaratis still await a direct flight between Ahmedabad and London, Air India has announced that it's new daily flight between Birmingham, Delhi and Amritsar will on Sunday 21st December, after the carrier takes delivery of its 18th Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner’ aircraft.
Extending the Birmingham operation from four flights a week to daily services, the airline will offer more than 3,500 seats on the route each week. This growth comes just 15 months after launching the Birmingham route, which has carried more than 106,000 passengers.
Adding Wednesday, Friday and Sunday to its schedule, Air India’s programme will see flights arriving from Amritsar and Delhi at 1700 daily and departing Birmingham for the return legs at 2030 each evening.
The new programme is on sale now with attractive fares, through www.airindia.com or via travel agents.
Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’s Chief Executive, said, “We are incredibly thankful to Air India for committing to daily services from Birmingham and adding more direct capacity to India from the Midlands.
“The West Midlands receives more foreign direct investment from India than any other region outside of London and Birmingham’s VFR market grew by 71% in 2013, now attracting more visitors from India than any English city other than London.
“It’s therefore hardly surprising that the route has been such a success since its inauguration in August last year as it allows people to travel from their local catchment area, rather than airports further away.” The Dreamliner operates a 256 seat cabin, consisting of 18 business class and 238 economy seats.
Vishwanath Panyam, Air India’s Astt. General Manager, added, “The West Midlands is a diverse region and home to more than 200,000 British-Indian people so we are pleased to be able to not only serve this extensive VFR market but also give business travellers direct access to the whole of India via Delhi on the comfortable, quiet and state of the art Boeing-787 Dreamliner aircraft.
“I hope that the daily services will offer greater choice, flexibility and convenience and make the Birmingham flights even more appealing to local people.”
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a long range, mid-size wide-body, twin-engine jet airliner, and is designed to provide ‘invisible comfort’. The cabin air pressure is the equivalent of 6,000 feet altitude – 2,000 feet lower than other aircraft. This improves oxygen absorption into the blood, reducing in-flight headaches, dizziness and fatigue. Passengers also enjoy better air humidity, to arrive at their destination refreshed.
The B787 has been designed to be 20% more fuel efficient than the B767 it is to replace.
