British Airways To Resume Flights Between Chennai And London With Safety Protocols In Place

British Airways’ first passenger flight between Chennai and London since May 2020 will resume from 2 September 2021. The flight is scheduled to depart at 5.31 am and land in London at 11.50 am.

The airline will resume operations between London’s Heathrow airport and Chennai thrice a week on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday from London and Monday, Thursday, and Saturday from Chennai on its return leg.

The return of this direct flight from Chennai to the UK assumes importance with a chance for people to reunite after a long separation due to Covid-19. This direct flight also provides seamless travel options for students who want to pursue further studies overseas.

British Airways has increased flights from India to the UK from 10 to 20 per week from 16 August. The decision came as the UK government moved India to an amber list.

Moran Birger, British Airways’ head of sales for South Asia, Middle East and Africa said: “We can’t wait to welcome our customers on board our flights and are delighted to be able to reunite families and friends with their loved ones after such a long time apart.

“The safety of our customers and colleagues has always been at the heart of everything we do. We have also introduced a range of measures to provide stress and hassle-free travel.”

British Airways’ existing online Covid hub includes information on flexible bookings, testing, how to use a voucher and what the British Airways flying experience looks like for those that haven’t travelled for some time.

British Airways has also introduced a number of measures at the airport and on board to look after the safety and well-being of its customers and employees. These include social distancing measures, the wearing of face masks (which remain in place) and hand sanitiser stations. Prior to travel customers will also receive details of how they can prepare for their journey, including information on discounted testing providers.

To help customers navigate the changing entry requirement and facilitate a seamless journey, they can choose to download the VeriFLY app before departing to London. The digital health app allows customers to combine their travel verification documents and Covid-19 test results in one place and confirm their eligibility with a few simple steps.

British Airways has partnered with Dettol to offer a range of products to keep its customers and colleagues safe in the air and on the ground. The airline is cleaning all key surfaces including seats, screens, seat buckles and tray tables after every flight and each aircraft is completely cleaned from nose to tail every day.

The air on all British Airways flights is fully recycled once every two to three minutes through HEPA filters, which remove microscopic bacteria and virus clusters with over 99.9 per cent efficiency, equivalent to hospital operating theatre standards.