A Bollywood dance troupe greeted passengers at Stansted Airport to celebrate the inaugural Air India flight to Amritsar on Thursday (October 31).
The new three-times-a-week service, operated by a 256-seater Boeing 787 Dreamliner, offers both business and economy classes.
It is the only direct service between London and Amritsar, in northern Punjab, and the first ever scheduled service from Stansted to the sub-continent.
The aircraft featured a specially painted tribute to mark the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, founder of the Sikh religion.
Air India joins the popular twice-daily Emirates service to Dubai that launched last year as part of Stansted’s growing long-haul network.
Stansted chief executive Ken O’Toole said: “This service is… a clear reflection of the huge demand that exists across north and east London and the East of England for convenient and affordable connections to India.
“We have made clear our ambition is to provide passengers with more choice and opportunities to travel long-haul from London Stansted, including services to India as well as direct flights to the USA and China in particular. Delivering this exciting new service with Air India is another significant step in the right direction in meeting our goal.”
Air India’s executive director, Aruna Gopalakrishnan, said: “India has always been an important and popular destination for not only the Indian diaspora in the UK but also for UK residents, for tourism, pilgrimage and business interests.
“London Stansted is positioned at the heart of the UK’s Innovation Corridor, adjoining the popular cities of London and Cambridge, which is home to many world-leading universities, research and development organisations, technology, life sciences and technology companies.
“The new route will facilitate major business opportunities in both countries and will further boost business and trade and invite investment building upon the growing business base.
“Furthermore, this flight will also be in great demand for the Sikh community in London, and perhaps as far away as the East Midlands, wishing to make a pilgrimage to Amritsar’s Golden Temple and elsewhere.”
Flights will operate on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
source https://cvrnewsdirect.com/bollywood-dancers-greet-passengers-as-first-air-india-flight-takes-off-from-stansted/
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