summary
Air India has launched a service to Bangalore, expanding London Gatwick's India routes to five times a week. LGW aims to double its India routes within five years and has seen strong interim results due to an increased focus on North America and Asia. London Gatwick is strengthening its Asian route network with new services to India, China and East Asia.
Air India has announced the launch of new services connecting London Gatwick (LGW) and Bangalore (BLR) as part of the continued expansion of its long-haul network between the UK and India. London Gatwick in particular stands to benefit from the airline's expanding list of Indian destinations, given its “strong” interim financial results for the period to June 2024, released earlier this week.
The airport said in a statement that its focus on North America, the Middle East and Asia will “attract a wider range of passengers and continue to realize our vision of being the airport for everyone,” pointing to new Singapore Airlines flights that began in June, as well as new services to China and India. It's worth noting that North Atlantic Airways also recently announced it will begin service to Las Vegas in September.
Photo: Dmitry Doven | Shutterstock
Air India launches BLR-LGW
Bangalore has become the fifth destination to be served by London Gatwick to India after Goa, Kochi, Ahmedabad and Amritsar. The airline currently operates five flights per week with a Boeing 787. The new route will help LGW achieve its ambitious target of doubling its connectivity to India within five years.
Related: Air India to begin operating Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner between Bangalore and London Gatwick in August
Air India will partner with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic to connect Bangalore to London.
The total number of weekly flights between LGW and India has increased to 19. Stephanie Ware, vice president, aviation development at London Gatwick Airport, said:
“This new service to Bengaluru is fantastic news for both passengers and businesses in London and the South East. The city's dynamic technology industry and cultural importance makes it a fantastic addition to our route network. We expect the service to be popular, providing fantastic opportunities for both tourism and trade.”
According to data from FlightRadar24, the first flight was operated on August 18 between BLR and LGW by a Boeing 787-8 with the registration VT-ANJ. The 11-year-old plane landed at 19:58 UK time, about an hour later than scheduled.
The service will operate under flight number AI177. From August 2021 to March 2022, Air India operated the route between BLR and London Heathrow Airport (LHR) under the same flight number.
In addition to LGW, Air India operates 31 flights per week to India from LHR and six flights per week from Birmingham (BHX).
A strong start to 2024: a strengthened network
In the first half of 2024, LGW recorded 19.9 million passengers using the airport. The company said this was thanks to around 60 airlines connecting with more than 220 destinations around the world, totalling 122,725 aircraft movements. This equates to up to 58 movements per hour, it said.
“We are pleased to be able to offer our customers a range of new and exciting services, including a range of new services, including a range of new services, including a range of new services, including a range of new services, a range of new services and a range of new services,” said Stewart Wingate, CEO of London Gatwick.
“Increasing demand for travel is driving our busiest summer ever. Through careful planning and close collaboration with our partners, we are well positioned to get off to a strong start in 2024 and deliver a reliable and enjoyable experience for our passengers.”
Photo: Anand Balaji | Shutterstock
Our teams have worked incredibly hard to achieve these results as we continue to expand our network, offering passengers more choice whilst working towards our vision of being the airport for everyone, whatever their journey.”
LGW's Asian network is the most expanded
Compared to other focus regions, Asia was by far the most active during this period. Looking at the Central Asian network, Azerbaijan Airlines launched three flights per week to Baku in March, with the same frequency as its connecting flights to Heathrow Airport.
And in April, we welcomed Uzbekistan Airways to Tashkent, which complements their existing service to London Heathrow and operates every Sunday – the third longest Airbus A320 route in the world. Finally, Turkmenistan Airlines also joined the LGW family in April, diverting its weekly Boeing 777-200LR service to Ashgabat from Heathrow.
Photo: Soos Jozsef I Shutterstock
Now, speaking of East Asia, in early June, Air China launched daily flights to Beijing Capital International Airport, followed shortly thereafter by China Southern Airlines to Guangzhou on June 20. On this matter, Ware had previously said:
“Having welcomed both Air China and China Southern to the airport last year, this new route highlights the airline's commitment to growth at London Gatwick. We are pleased to continue to develop our successful relationship with China's big three airlines, working with China Eastern.”
Singapore Airlines also recently announced it will increase the number of flights to Gatwick Airport from five times a week to daily from March next year.
Related: Singapore Airlines adds Airbus A350 services to London Gatwick Airport
Flights will begin in June 2024.
