Ahmedabad: Virtual flag off of the Ahmedabad London (Gatwick) flight took place today in the virtual presence of Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Rajiv Bansal, Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Campbell, CEO of Air India, and other dignitaries.

Air India has with this now started 3 weekly flights to Gatwick from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport of Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

Official Note:

Air India Inaugurates Non-Stop Flights Between 
Ahmedabad and London Gatwick

Air India now flies 49 times a week between India and the UK 

New Delhi, 28 March, 2023: Air India, India’s leading airline and a Star Alliance member, today inaugurated non-stop flights between Ahmedabad and London Gatwick, the UK’s second-largest airport.

The Hon’ble Minister of Civil Aviation, Mr Jyotiraditya M. Scindia flagged off the inaugural flight in a virtual ceremony. Cabinet Minister of Civil Aviation, Gujarat, Mr Balvantsinh Rajput attended the event along with Secretary, Civil Aviation Mr Rajiv Bansal and Air India MD & CEO Mr Campbell Wilson. Dignitaries and senior executives at Ahmedabad Airport were also present on the occasion.

The inaugural flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick departed on time at 1150 hrs, scheduled to arrive at London Gatwick at 1640 hrs (local time) today.

At the inauguration of the non-stop flights,Minister of Civil Aviation, Mr. Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, said, “Today marks an important day for Ahmedabad and Gujarat, as India’s flag bearer airline, Air India, commences its direct flight from Ahmedabad, Manchester of the East, to London Gatwick. The introduction of this route will open more business avenues and further strengthen investment opportunities between the two nations. On this occasion, I would like to congratulate the entire Air India team for re-envisioning the dream of the legendary JRD Tata of making Air India a premier airline globally.”

Mr. Campbell Wilson, MD & CEO, Air India, said, “As part of our five-year transformation plan, Vihaan.AI, we aim to grow our domestic and global network significantly to improve India’s connectivity with the rest of the world. We are delighted to launch services from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, which will continue to boost trade and tourism between the two nations and help a large number of people from the Indian diaspora stay just a flight away from Gujarat.”

It is estimated that over 8,00,000 Gujaratis call the UK their home, making the Gujarati diaspora in the UK to be, arguably, the largest in the world.

The flights between Ahmedabad and London Gatwick will be operated three times a week using Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, featuring 18 Business Class and 238 Economy Class seats.

This week, in addition to flights from Ahmedabad, Air India has also launched non-stop flights to London Gatwick from Amritsar, Goa, and Kochi while increasing the frequency to London Heathrow from Delhi and Mumbai. In total, the airline now operates 49 flights per week between India and the UK, including six flights a week to Birmingham from Delhi and Amritsar.

Schedule of flights between Ahmedabad and London Gatwick:

Flight Number	From	To	Departure	Arrival	Days of Operation
AI171	Ahmedabad	London Gatwick	1150	1640	Tue, Thu, Sat
AI172	London Gatwick	Ahmedabad	2000	0850 (+1)	Wed, Fri, Sun

All times shown are by local time. (+1) denotes next day arrival. 

DeshGujarat