Bengaluru International Airport (BLR) revealed in a press release on Friday that the country’s flag carrier would begin operating flights connecting the city with London Gatwick. The flights will be operated using a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
According to the press release, the new route should operate between the two cities five times weekly. However, the route won’t be operated uniquely, with Air India joining its two biggest competitors when linking India to the U.K., British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
The Boeing 787-8 is an aircraft that makes up the backbone of Air India’s long-haul fleet, with it being idyllic for starting routes given its lower capacity. This means that it can be trialed to adapt to demand, and if demand is steady or increasing, it can be substituted for a larger aircraft.
Bengaluru in particular is an increasingly popular destination for international travel, seeing flights to popular European destinations such as Frankfurt and Munich with Lufthansa, Paris with Air France, and Amsterdam with KLM. The new route is one of the longest to serve Bengaluru, falling short of the ultra-long-haul route flown by Air India’s Boeing 777s to San Francisco. It will add to the near-100 weekly routes serving India’s third most populous city.
Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Operating Officer at BLR said that he was “thrilled about this new development, which strengthens our ongoing partnership with Air India and greatly enhances our connectivity to London. This new route will boost trade, tourism, and cultural exchange. London is one of our busiest long-haul markets and the new service will allow our passengers have a choice of airports in London to travel to. We look forward to adding more destinations to our network, thereby reinforcing our position as the Gateway to South and Central India.”
