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Dave

London Gatwick Airport welcomes Air India with four new long-haul routes

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London Gatwick, part of VINCI Airports’ network, is set to welcome its latest new airline this summer, with Air India announcing four new routes to Goa, Ahmedabad, Amritsar and Kochi (Cochin), starting from 26 March.

These new routes strengthen established, strong community links between the UK – particularly London – and India. 

The Indian flag carrier will be operating 12 flights a week between London and the four Indian destinations on 787-8 aircraft, with 256 seats across business and economy classes. These include:

  • Three flights a week to Goa, on the western coast of India, famed for its beaches and Portuguese heritage
  • Three flights a week to Ahmedabad, in western India, and the largest city in the state of Gujarat
  • Three weekly flights to Amritsar, the second largest city in the state of Punjab in north-western India
  • Three flights a week to Kochi (Cochin), a major port city on the south-western coast, known as the financial, commercial and industrial capital of Kerala

Tickets for these new flights are now on sale.

These new services reflect VINCI Airports’ commitment to serve communities and sustain business growth by developing air connectivity. They also highlight Gatwick’s competitiveness to attract vital new routes.

Stewart Wingate, Chief Executive Officer, Gatwick Airport said:

The arrival of Air India and its four routes to London Gatwick is fantastic news for the airport and passengers across London and the south-east.

India not only offers wonderful cities and beach destinations to explore but provides a wealth of opportunities for businesses and wider connectivity. These connections are also hugely important to our local and regional communities, with people looking to visit family and friends across India.

Dave

Gatwick to connect London and Frankfurt with two daily Lufthansa services

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London Gatwick Airport has announced a new connection from April 2023, linking two of the world’s biggest financial hubs, as Lufthansa launches a double daily service to Frankfurt, Germany.

From 23 April 2023, the German flag carrier will operate twice daily between the UK’s capital and Germany’s financial capital, home of the European Central Bank.

Frankfurt is one of the largest global hubs of passenger and cargo traffic. It is currently the fifth busiest European airport and seventh busiest in the world for international passengers.

The new route will therefore also offer fantastic onward connectivity for passengers, including to other key financial hubs such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Singapore, Beijing and Shanghai, among many other destinations across North and South America, Africa and Asia.

Stewart Wingate, Chief Executive Officer, Gatwick Airport said: “

We are delighted to welcome Lufthansa back to Gatwick Airport next year, providing passengers across London and the south-east with a vital connection to Frankfurt.

The city is not only a hugely important financial hub, but offers excellent onward connectivity and opportunities. It’s also a great place for tourists too, with fantastic museums and architecture.


Heinrich Lange, Senior Director Sales Northern Europe, Lufthansa Group Airlines said: “

Lufthansa is happy to operate to London Gatwick next summer to connect this major airport with our hub in Frankfurt. We come closer to our customers in the south of London and will ease the access to our global network. We are glad to have Gatwick as our third London airport served in our timetable.

Frankfurt is one of a number of new routes expected to be announced by London Gatwick for the new year.

Dave

British Airways relaunches short-haul flights from Gatwick

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British Airways has revealed the initial destinations for its new Gatwick subsidiary, which will start flying from March 2022.

The airline announced its intention to create a short-haul standalone business at Gatwick in August, similar to its operation from London City Airport, which operates under the British Airways name but exists as an entirely separate entity. The offshoot will launch later in 2022, with short-haul services at Gatwick being operated by mainline BA until the new entity’s Air Operators Certificate is issued.

British Airways Airbus A320
Tickets for BA short-haul European flights from Gatwick are available from GTM now

BA short-haul flights will start operating from Gatwick at the end of March, with three Airbus short-haul aircraft initially, ramping ramp up to 18 aircraft by the end of May.

The subsidiary will herald the airline’s return to short-haul flying from the London airport, which had been suspended as a result of Covid-19 in Spring 2020. During the pandemic, several routes were moved to Heathrow, some of which will return to Gatwick, as well as being maintained at Heathrow to give customers choice, including Faro, Ibiza, Malaga, Marrakech and Tenerife. In addition, other new routes will be added at Gatwick including Athens, Berlin, Madrid, Milan Malpensa and Santorini.

The new services will be branded and known as British Airways. Customers will receive the same high level of service they expect of British Airways as well as enjoying the benefits of travelling with the UK’s flag carrier including a generous baggage allowance, free water and snacks, free seat selection and frequent flyer benefits which include lounge access.

Club Europe customers will also receive complimentary food and drink and Euro Traveller customers who want to order additional food will benefit from access to the airline’s ‘Speedbird Café’, which features a selection of products from a range of carefully selected British brands.

Sean Doyle, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said:

[This] is a landmark moment for British Airways. The creation of a new British Airways short-haul organisation means Gatwick customers will benefit from access to a premium service from the UK’s flag carrier at competitive prices. We are looking forward to bringing a short-haul network back to Gatwick, with a fantastic flying team in place, to serve our customers from London’s second hub airport, which we feel sure will be a success.

Stewart Wingate, CEO, Gatwick Airport, said:

This significant news will be very welcome for many people connected to the airport.  Despite the ongoing public health situation, today’s announcement is a positive signal that consumer confidence is returning as people start thinking about making travel plans for next summer. Given the difficult period we have all just been through, we expect BA’s new and extensive network of services from Gatwick to destinations across Europe to be in high demand and our staff, retailers, restaurants, cafes and bars are all looking forward to welcoming BA passengers back in larger numbers from April next year.