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Bmi bids for flights to India
Bmi plans flights to Mumbai and Bangalore after an agreement between the UK and Indian governments to allow extra flights between the two countries.
The airline wants to run a daily service to Mumbai and a six-times-a-week flights to Bangalore from next March. It would be bmi’s first long-haul services from London.
The carrier has confirmed its plans to the Department for Transport, which is expected to require the Civil Aviation Authority to hold a hearing to allocate the 21 extra flights per week granted to UK airlines.
But bmi faces a fight with British Airways, which holds all the rights for UK airlines to serve India, and Virgin Atlantic, which serve New Dehli three times a week in a commercial pact with Air India.
If the Indian flights are approved, bmi’s long-haul network would rise from currently existing Manchester flights to Chicago, Washington and Toronto. Later this month, it starts serving Las Vegas from Manchester as well as Barbados, Antigua and St Lucia in November and December.
Bmi chairman Sir Michael Bishop said: “We have long campaigned for greater access to long-haul markets. bmi has actively sought to bring about changes to the bilateral agreements in existence between the UK and India. We are now able to demonstrate our commitment to serving this important market.
“Our short-haul network at Heathrow means we can offer onward connections throughout the UK and Europe, bringing the benefits of these connections with India to even more customers.
“Our attempts to introduce greater customer choice to other long-haul services from Heathrow, such as to the USA, continue to be frustrated through restrictive bilateral agreements. The opportunity for an increase to the number of services in the UK to India market should provide bmi with the opportunity to meet that demand.
“We are ready, willing and able to provide these extra services and with it vigorous new competition – and we would expect to receive a fair disposition of all the available frequencies.”
Report by Phil Davies
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