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Ashwini Phadnis

New Delhi , Feb. 8

AIR India has succeeded in getting three more landing slots in London, which will see the airline operating 24 flights a week on the India-UK route soon.

Official sources told Business Line that the airline received confirmation of three additional landing slots in London two days ago.

"We have written to the Ministry, informing them of the latest development," a senior AI official contacted in Mumbai said.

The airline plans to utilise the three additional flights to operate on the Kolkata-London sector.

The latest development means that the two private sector airlines — Jet Airways and Air Sahara — will have to be content with operating nine flights a week between them on the India-UK sector.

The Government had recently allowed Jet to operate a daily flight on the India-UK sector, while Air Sahara was given permission to operate a twice-a-week flight on the sector.

If AI had been unsuccessful in getting the three additional landing slots in London, the slots would have gone back to the general pool and would have been divided between the two private sector airlines.

AI and the two private airlines are to launch the new flights during the summer schedule, which globally extends from end-March to end-October.

The Government has already warned that failure to launch the flights would lead to a two-year ban on operating flights on the sector.

Sahara unhappy: However, the distribution of flight between the two private airlines on the India-UK route has led to some disappointment with Air Sahara describing it as "unequal."

The Air Sahara President, Mr Rono Dutta, had met the Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Praful Patel, and other senior officials to make a case for the airline to be allowed to operate more flights on the sector.

Flights to Birmingham: Meanwhile, AI plans to launch the Delhi-Birmingham-Toronto flight by mid-May. The airline proposes to utilise a Boeing 777 aircraft to operate on the route.

The Government had recently given permission to AI to operate thrice a week flight on the India-Birmingham sector.

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