British Airways, the United Kingdom’s flag carrier, and IndiGo, India’s premier airline, have entered into a codeshare pact aimed at enhancing travel connections between the UK and India.
This collaboration, wherein British Airways appends its code to various destinations within IndiGo’s network, is set to provide travelers with enhanced connectivity between Europe and Southeast Asia, effective from October 12, 2023.
In total, eight destinations are now available as codeshare options when travelling from London Heathrow via New Delhi or Mumbai.
This includes three new destinations that haven’t been accessible to British Airways customers until now:
London Heathrow to Amritsar via New Delhi
London Heathrow to Kochi via Mumbai
London Heathrow to Ahmedabad via Mumbai
London Heathrow to Goa via Mumbai
London Heathrow to Thiruvananthapuram via Mumbai (NEW)
London Heathrow to Kolkata via Mumbai
London Heathrow to Rajkot (Hirasar) via Mumbai (NEW)
London Heathrow to Vadodara via Mumbai (NEW)
The agreement means that British Airways’ customers travelling, for example from Rajkot (Hirasar) to London, or transiting through Heathrow (or vice versa) will be able to connect to their destination on a single ticket.
IndiGo operates an extensive domestic and regional network with a fleet of A320 aircraft. All British Airways customers travelling onwards with IndiGo will be able to enjoy a complimentary meal and the UK carrier’s generous baggage allowance in economy via codeshare for flights to India – two checked bags up to 23 kilos per person.
Neil Chernoff, British Airways’ Director of Network and Alliances said: “British Airways has been flying to India since 1924, making it one of our longest-served and most valued destinations. Our partnership with IndiGo means that customers will be able to book their entire journey on one ticket, allowing seamless travel all the way from London to their final destination, offering more choice and flexibility for customers.”
Abhijit Dasgupta, Senior Vice President, Network Planning and Revenue Management at IndiGo, said, “We are excited to announce our codeshare agreement with British Airways. This partnership expands the choices available to British Airways customers for journeys to/from London Heathrow, using IndiGo’s extensive network in India. This step to provide seamless connectivity will not only support trade and commerce between the two countries but also offer convenient travel options to students and tourists. With burgeoning demand for international travel, we will continue to enhance international connectivity and remain committed to our promise of providing on-time, affordable, courteous, and hassle-free travel experiences to our customers.”
The number of British Airways flights from India to London now exceeds pre-pandemic levels, with the airline operating 56 flights a week, to five Indian gateways: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
Indian customers travelling between Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore can enjoy the airline’s newly designed Club Suite (business class) cabin, with direct-aisle access, a suite door for greater privacy and luxurious flat-bed seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. Flyers will also soon start to see the new British Airways uniform, as cabin crew, pilots and check-in agents switch over to the airline’s first new uniform in 20 years.
Codeshare flights are available to book from today for travel from 12 October 2023, subject to government approval.
