Air India to commence London Gatwick flights in late 1Q23

Air India will add another UK destination to its network ahead of the 2023 Northern Hemisphere winter, announcing the start of flights between London Gatwick and Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Goa Dabolim, and Kochi Int'l from March 26, 2023. According to an Air India statement, B787-8 aircraft will operate thrice weekly roundtrip frequencies across all four routes where the airline will enjoy sole operator status. "This is part of the airline’s ongoing endeavour to spread its wings on the international aviation map, hence, increasing its market share on international routes," reads the statement. "The robust enhancement of operations is one of the major pillars of Air India’s transformational roadmap." Air India presently flies to Birmingham Int'l from Amritsar and Delhi and London Heathrow from Amritsar, Delhi Int'l, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad Int'l, Goa, and Kochi. Four other airlines - British Airways, Air Canada, Vistara, and Virgin Atlantic, also offer scheduled passenger flights between the two countries. According to ch-aviation capacities data, British Airways now offers 38.12% of the weekly available seats, followed by Air India at 33.58%, Virgin Atlantic at 17.11%, Vistara at 5.6% and Air Canada at 5.58%. Notably, Tata Sons owned Air India and Vistara are expected to merge within 12 months.<br/>