India Now On Amber List, As British Airways Doubles Its Flights To Country To 20 A Week

With the UK moving India to the amber list, British Airways has doubled its weekly flights to the country from 10 to 20 followed by India allowing more air service between the two countries.

According to British Airways, it will increase flights from 10 to 20 per week from India to the UK starting August 16, 2021.

India has now allowed its carriers — Air India and Vistara — to collectively operate 34 weekly flights — up from 15 earlier and as many to British carriers — BA and Virgin Atlantic.

From earlier allowing 30 weeklies, India-UK can now have 68 weekly nonstops.

Air India, which has nonstops to London from several Indian cities, is adding flights to the UK, while Vistara has doubled its twice-weekly Delhi-London to four now, allowing more flights between the two countries.

The decision came as the British government moved India to an amber list and the Indian government allowed UK carriers to operate additional flights, increasing the weekly cap from 15 to 34.

British Airways will now operate 20 direct return flights across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, providing convenient options for customers wanting to travel to London Heathrow.

These flights will not only reunite several people who have been kept apart from their loved ones due to Covid-19, but also provide convenient options to eligible students to connect to the UK and US on the airlines’ codeshare partner American Airlines.

Moran Birger, British Airways’ Head of Sales for South Asia, Middle East and Africa said, "It is wonderful to see connections between India and London being restored after months of uncertainty caused by the global pandemic. These additional new flights will allow our Indian customers, who have waited so patiently, to reunite with their loved ones."

Birger further said, "The flights also provide new travel options for Indian students wishing to travel to the UK and beyond for further studies, ahead of the start of a new academic year."

Customers booking with British Airways can do so with absolute confidence, thanks to the airline’s flexible booking policy. They are able to exchange their booking for a voucher or move their dates without incurring a change fee.

British Airways’ existing online Covid-19 hub includes information on flexible bookings, testing, how to use a voucher and what the British Airways flying experience looks like for those who 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 wellbeing of its customers and colleagues.

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 confirms 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.