"Buoyed by the initial success of our direct service to Bangalore for five days a week since Oct 31, we plan to launch similar flights to Hyderabad and Kochi in the near future, making us the first international airliner to connect so many Indian metros with London," British Airways CEO Willie Walsh told a news conference.
The airline estimates about 30-50 percent increase in traffic between the two countries over the next two to three years, enabling it to triple its flights to India and to provide connectivity to its outbound passengers from London to several European and the US cities.
Currently, British Airways operates 35 flights a week from India to Heathrow connecting Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore, including twice-a-day services between Delhi-Mumbai and London and six flights a week from Chennai.
"India's aviation sector is one of the most profitable routes for us and would continue to grow despite competition. Though the US continues to be our largest market on the long haul, both India and China are competing with each other to emerge as the second largest market," Walsh said.
The Indian market generates about 40-50 percent of the outbound traffic to Europe and the US from Britain, with a majority from India's tech capital, making London a major transit hub for jet-set executives.
British Airways flies across 50 countries, touching 170 destinations and carries about 36 million passengers annually.
The airline is holding talks with India's private carrier Air Sahara for code sharing to fly more passengers on its second largest international route outside the US.
"We have signed an MoU with Air Sahara and are looking forward to partner with it. We are aware of its plan to divest some equity. We are in talks with them," Walsh said.
The code sharing will help both airlines manage flight schedules and allow passengers booked on one airline to fly on the other, besides sharing of resources in airports.
British Airways' commercial director Martin George said code-sharing would include frequent fliers, lounge access, price coordination and feeding passengers for international routes.
The airline plans to increase its non-stop flights to India to 42 a week next year.
"About 625,000 to 750,000 people travel between India and Britain annually, of which about 50 percent use London as a transit point to fly to other destinations in the Europe and the US," George said.
