Indian aviators heat up Heathrow

摘要

The commercial aviation industry continues to battle the worst crisis in its history, yet two plucky airlines from India have spied an opportunity to gain a foothold at one of the world's most prestigious airports. Vistara and SpiceJet have each revealed they are bucking the trend and launching new long-haul services to London/ Heathrow, unveiling their plans to evolve from transcontinental to intercontinental carriers in August after securing coveted slots at the west London hub. Vistara successfully launched its new flagship link that same month, while SpiceJet intends to begin scheduled operations in December. Vinamra Longani, an aviation analyst based in New Delhi, described London as "the ideal destination for any Indian airline wanting to launch long-haul services." Longani, who is head of operations for Sarin & Co, an Indian law firm specialising in aviation regulatory services, said there was considerable business and leisure traffic between the two countries and that the gap left by the closure of Jet Airways in April of last year meant there is room in the market for new players. Prior to the suspension of its flights, Jet Airways operated up to four services a day between India and Heathrow - three between the UK capital and its hub in Mumbai, and a further rotation to Delhi. Longani explained to AIR International that the demise of Jet Airways was an opportunity for its partners to grow their presence in India, but Vistara and SpiceJet's entry into the market may have come too late to fully capitalise on the defunct firm's withdrawal. He noted: "Virgin Atlantic returned to Mumbai, Delta Air Lines added non-stop flights from New York/JFK to Mumbai, Air France added capacity to all its Indian routes, KLM increased frequencies to Mumbai and added Bangalore to its route map.