Air India starts Amritsar-Gatwick direct flight

NEW DELHI: Air India on Monday launched a direct flight from Amritsar to Gatwick in the UK, with Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia saying the new international connectivity will work as a catalyst for the development of the region.

''Equipped with 18 business class seats featuring fully-flat beds and 238 economy class seats, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner will be operating three flights a week on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday from Amritsar,'' the airline said in a release.

Air India will operate 9 other weekly flights scheduled from Ahmedabad, Goa, and Kochi -- making it a total of 12 weekly flights to Gatwick.

''In total, the airline now operates 49 flights in the UK per week -- 43 flights to London (Heathrow and Gatwick) and six flights to Birmingham. Air India also operates 31 weekly flights to Heathrow, London, from Delhi and Mumbai,'' the release said.

Gatwick airport is the second largest airport in the UK.

The Air India flight from Amritsar to Gatwick was inaugurated by Scindia.

He said the new international connectivity will work as a catalyst for the development of the region and added that lakhs of people from Punjab live in the UK and the new service will connect families living in two different countries, according to an official release.

Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said that as part of its five-year transformation plan Vihaan.AI, the airline plans to significantly enhance connectivity between India's major cities and prime global destinations.

''These flights will also fulfil the growing demand for direct air connectivity from various important destinations in India to the UK and from the UK to these popular cities in India.'' Overall, Air India operates 80 flights per week to seven major cities in the UK and Europe. It has relaunched flights to some of the prime European destinations, such as Milan, Vienna, and Copenhagen.