British Airways adds Hyderabad route from December 08

To move Mumbai flights to Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport
TBM Staff | Mumbai

British Airways (BA) has announced the launch of direct flights from Hyderabad to London from December 7, 2008. The airline is scheduled to operate five flights a week and will operate a Boeing 777 aircraft on the route. The aircraft to be deployed on the Hyderabad route will have a three class configuration with Economy, Premium Economy and Club World class. The flight from Hyderabad will connect 19 American cities from London.

The airline currently operates to five Indian cities namely Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore. The frequency of the airline to India will increase from 43 flights a week to 48 flights a week once the Hyderabad route is operational. “India is the second largest market after US in terms of volume. We have been evaluating the possibilities of connecting Hyderabad to London for the past two years,” stated Amanda Amos, Area Commercial Manager, South Asia, British Airways.

The airline, which inaugurated its dedicated terminal (Terminal 5) at Heathrow Airport, London in March this year, will move Mumbai flights to the terminal from the 17th of next month. Bangalore flights were the first to move to Terminal 5 in July this year, whereas flights from the remaining cities of India will be moved by October 22, this year. “The Terminal had issues when inaugurated; however, these issues are solved. All the global flights including ones from India will move to Terminal 5 by October 22, 2008,” stated Amos. Internationally, the airline is currently working on a joint business agreement with American Airlines, which will allow both airlines to co-ordinate routes, pricing structures, loyalty programmes etc. BA is also working on the merger with Iberia Airlines.