INDIA. In a welcome boost to its international traffic profile, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad yesterday hosted the first flight from the UK’s largest scheduled airline, British Airways.
The new route provides a direct flight from Hyderabad to London Heathrow Terminal 5 in the UK and offers connections to 22 destinations in North America. British Airways will operate five weekly non-stop flights between Hyderabad and London – the only airline to offer direct flights between the two cities.
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The first British Airways jet to land at Rajiv Gandhi International receives a traditional water cannon salute |
British Airways Area Commercial Manager for South Asia Amanda Amos said: “We are very excited about the launch of our Hyderabad service. India is an incredibly important market for the airline and the start of this service demonstrates our commitment to this market.”
The inaugural British Airways flight, which landed at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at 4.40am on 7 December, received a traditional water cannon salute from the fire-fighting “˜Panthers’ at the rapid exit way.
The passengers and crew were welcomed by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) Chief Operating Officer, Peter Noyce, Director Prasanna C and Chief Commercial Officer Viswanath Attaluri.
“Despite the economic meltdown, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) has registered a reasonable growth in the international passenger traffic. The excellent facilities available at RGIA have opened up exciting opportunities for world-class carriers like British Airways to add Hyderabad as a preferred destination,” Viswanath said.
He added: “Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is poised to make Hyderabad a truly global air travel hub in India.”
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The British Airways crew received a warm welcome from GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited management |
ABOUT GHIAL
GMR-HIAL is a joint venture company between GMR Infrastructure Ltd (63%), Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (11%), Airports Authority of India (13%) and the Government of Andhra Pradesh (13%). It has a mandate to develop a world-class international airport in Shamshabad, about 25km from the main city of Hyderabad.
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