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NEW DELHI: British Airways has sought additional flying rights for operating more flights to Delhi and Mumbai. The airline now has 56 weekly flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad, more than the pre-Covid figure of 49. It plans to add more cities here on its network apart from adding frequencies to Delhi and Mumbai, BA CEO Sean Doyle said here on Friday.
“Our airline is 103 years old and we have been flying to India for 99 years (London-Delhi used to be a 14-day journey with multiple stops when it started the route). India is a very important market for us. We have 35 weekly flights to Delhi (twice daily) and Mumbai (thrice daily). These two places are constrained by air services agreements (ASA) as along with Virgin Atlantic, British carriers are fully utilising the current rights to Delhi and Mumbai. There is a need to open them up,” Doyle said.
India is in talks with the UK for a free trade agreement. Asked if British carriers will ask their government to seek further opening of the India market in terms of more liberal ASAs, he said: “What we will say to policy makers on both sides is that aviation is the catalyst for expansion of trade ties and is an enabler for foreign investment. ASAs must keep pace with growing demand and should be more liberal,” Doyle, who was here to open BA’s new call centre in Gurgaon that will service the airline’s customers globally, said.
According to BA, and several other foreign airlines, India saw among the fastest rebound in demand for travel post Covid. This despite international airfares now being almost double of pre-Covid times.
“We are witnessing more demand for travel across our cabins (from economy to premium classes) on flights to and from India. This is primarily driven by the pent-up demand; visiting friends and relatives (VFR) on both sides and the size of the Indian diaspora in the UK. Almost 30% of passengers on our flights to and from India are transiting to and from North America,” he said. While business and corporate travel is yet to pick up, the big boom has come from leisure and VFR travel.
So will fares remain as high as they are or will they drop to slightly more comfortable levels? “2019 was four year back and we perhaps need to change the base year for comparing current fare levels to. Since then oil prices and inflation have been surging. Airlines need to charge accordingly to be viable. Fares may drop when capacity increases with more airlines operating more flights,” he said.
Apart from higher operating costs, the other big change since 2019 has been longer routes many airlines have to take following Russia’s war on Ukraine. BA, for instance, says its flights to and from Southeast Asia take 2-2.5 hours longer. BA’s India flights have seen a minor 15-20 minute increase in duration due to avoiding Russian airspace.
“We will like to grow in India. BA, which has a headcount of 35,000 globally, has the highest number of employees — 2,000 — in India outside of the UK,” the CEO said. Doyle opened BA’s new call centre, CallBA, in Gurgaon where 1,400 staffers will offer round-the-clock support to from the US and Europe, through to Asia Pacific. “British Airways has been flying to India since 1924, making it one of our longest-served and most valued destinations. This investment in our customer care team at CallBA is part of our vision to continually enhance and upgrade our customer service. As we continue to invest in our people and grow our customer service teams in the region, we remain committed to the country and its people as we build a better BA.”
The airline is partnering with IndusInd Bank and Qatar Airways to launch of a new multi-branded airline credit card. From July, card holders will be able to collect Avios and elevate their travel experience, with benefits ranging from fast-track to meet-and-greet and concierge services, he said.
“Indian customers travelling between Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore can enjoy the airline’s newly designed club suite (business class) cabin, with direct-aisle access, a suite door for greater privacy and luxurious flat-bed seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. Flyers will also soon start to see the new British Airways uniform, as cabin crew, pilots and check-in agents switch over to the airline’s first new uniform in 20 years,” BA said in a statement.
“Our airline is 103 years old and we have been flying to India for 99 years (London-Delhi used to be a 14-day journey with multiple stops when it started the route). India is a very important market for us. We have 35 weekly flights to Delhi (twice daily) and Mumbai (thrice daily). These two places are constrained by air services agreements (ASA) as along with Virgin Atlantic, British carriers are fully utilising the current rights to Delhi and Mumbai. There is a need to open them up,” Doyle said.
India is in talks with the UK for a free trade agreement. Asked if British carriers will ask their government to seek further opening of the India market in terms of more liberal ASAs, he said: “What we will say to policy makers on both sides is that aviation is the catalyst for expansion of trade ties and is an enabler for foreign investment. ASAs must keep pace with growing demand and should be more liberal,” Doyle, who was here to open BA’s new call centre in Gurgaon that will service the airline’s customers globally, said.
According to BA, and several other foreign airlines, India saw among the fastest rebound in demand for travel post Covid. This despite international airfares now being almost double of pre-Covid times.
“We are witnessing more demand for travel across our cabins (from economy to premium classes) on flights to and from India. This is primarily driven by the pent-up demand; visiting friends and relatives (VFR) on both sides and the size of the Indian diaspora in the UK. Almost 30% of passengers on our flights to and from India are transiting to and from North America,” he said. While business and corporate travel is yet to pick up, the big boom has come from leisure and VFR travel.
So will fares remain as high as they are or will they drop to slightly more comfortable levels? “2019 was four year back and we perhaps need to change the base year for comparing current fare levels to. Since then oil prices and inflation have been surging. Airlines need to charge accordingly to be viable. Fares may drop when capacity increases with more airlines operating more flights,” he said.
Apart from higher operating costs, the other big change since 2019 has been longer routes many airlines have to take following Russia’s war on Ukraine. BA, for instance, says its flights to and from Southeast Asia take 2-2.5 hours longer. BA’s India flights have seen a minor 15-20 minute increase in duration due to avoiding Russian airspace.
“We will like to grow in India. BA, which has a headcount of 35,000 globally, has the highest number of employees — 2,000 — in India outside of the UK,” the CEO said. Doyle opened BA’s new call centre, CallBA, in Gurgaon where 1,400 staffers will offer round-the-clock support to from the US and Europe, through to Asia Pacific. “British Airways has been flying to India since 1924, making it one of our longest-served and most valued destinations. This investment in our customer care team at CallBA is part of our vision to continually enhance and upgrade our customer service. As we continue to invest in our people and grow our customer service teams in the region, we remain committed to the country and its people as we build a better BA.”
The airline is partnering with IndusInd Bank and Qatar Airways to launch of a new multi-branded airline credit card. From July, card holders will be able to collect Avios and elevate their travel experience, with benefits ranging from fast-track to meet-and-greet and concierge services, he said.
“Indian customers travelling between Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore can enjoy the airline’s newly designed club suite (business class) cabin, with direct-aisle access, a suite door for greater privacy and luxurious flat-bed seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. Flyers will also soon start to see the new British Airways uniform, as cabin crew, pilots and check-in agents switch over to the airline’s first new uniform in 20 years,” BA said in a statement.
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