The Hindu Business Line : BA's London-Bangalore service takes off

BRITISH Airways has become the first international airline to directly connect London and Bangalore after its flight landed in Bangalore on October 31 for the first time.

The airline now offers direct flights to Heathrow from five Indian cities, including the metros.

The airline said it would operate five flights a week from Bangalore and add two more by March 2006.

Based on bilateral talks between the UK and India to allow more flights between the two countries, the airline has doubled its Mumbai service to two flights a day and has similar plans for Delhi beginning summer 2006. It has increased Chennai services from two to six per week.

This will increase its India service to 45 flights from 19 currently. The airline has been in India for 76 years and current operations include a daily service to Delhi, a daily service to Mumbai, three times a week to Kolkata and twice a week to Chennai.

BA said it has signed an MoU with Air Sahara, making it a preferred partner to extend the domestic network. At present, India contributes 10 per cent of the company's total revenues, which was around £650 million last year.

"Bangalore — the Silicon Valley of India — is one of the fastest growing cities of Asia, with tremendous potential for international travel. The number of passengers demanding premium international travel services is on the rise, and as India's preferred international airline, we are now ready to extend the British Airways experience to the discerning international travellers from Bangalore," said Mr Alok Sawhney, Country Commercial Manager.

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