London Stansted was filled with the sights and sounds of India today as a dazzling Bollywood dance troupe greeted passengers to celebrate the inaugural Air India flight to Amritsar.
The new three-times a week service, operated by a 256-seater Boeing 787 Dreamliner offering both business and economy class, is the only direct service between London and Amritsar and the first ever scheduled service from London Stansted to India.
The aircraft also featured a specially painted tribute to mark the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak Dev ji, the founder of the Sikh religion.
Air India’s arrival is another positive step towards Stansted’s goal of developing a significant long-haul route network at the airport and joins the extremely popular twice-daily Emirates service to Dubai that launched last year.
Flights will operate three times a week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
This service is a great addition to our long-haul offer and 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 new exciting new service with Air India is another significant step in the right direction in meeting our goal, ” said Ken O’ Toole, London Stansted’s CEO.
