British Airways has deployed Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner between its London-Mumbai route as part of catering to the demand for premium products from Mumbai, replacing the Boeing 777 aircraft. This move comes after the airline received good feedback from Delhi, which is already connected with the UK capital on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, and is currently the most technologically advanced aircraft on British Airways’ fleet. The four-class configured aircraft is 20 times longer than its predecessor 787-8 and features a First Class cabin, which marked its debut in the airline’s 787 fleet with this development.
Robert Williams, head of sales – Asia Pacific and the Middle East, British Airways, said, “The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is a key part of our fleet and it is the right aircraft for the Mumbai market. We have introduced it on the right time here. With this move, we have also made changes in customer experience. Mumbai is a very important market for British Airways and the airline is investing in new products and services for this market.”
The airline, which has been flying to India for over 90 years, has observed growing demand for premium products from Mumbai, primarily due to increasing trend of premium leisure and business travel from the financial capital.
Commenting on route expansion, Williams stated, “We keep looking at opportunities and we can do that through partnerships with other airlines. Currently, we are equipped well to cater to the demand from India.”
The airline will induct a total of 42 Boeing 787 family of aircraft which will be deployed for destinations such as Delhi and Abu Dhabi. Besides, the airline will also induct Airbus A350 aircraft in its fleet next year, as part of investments in fleet.
Speaking about the recent gadget ban in flights to the UK and US, Williams said that British Airways has so far remained unaffected by the UK-US policy.
British Airways currently operates 49 flights a week from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad to London Heathrow’s Terminal 5, which will mark its 10th anniversary next year.
