Dear readers,
For the past few years, the Gujarati community in Britain has debated whether Heathrow or Gatwick should serve as the departure airport for the direct flight between London and Ahmedabad.
Earlier, this flight was operated from Heathrow Airport, but it is now being operated from Gatwick Airport. This decision by the flight operator, Air India has impacted majority of Gujaratis who want to visit their motherland.
We already have raised this issue in Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar. We wrote a letter to the CEO of Air India and Managing Director, Campbell Wilson citing the inconvenience caused to travelers and requested them to reconsider the decision to operate the London-Ahmedabad-London direct flight from Gatwick Airport.
Currently, Air India operates three flights per week on the London-Ahmedabad-London route and all three flights depart from Gatwick Airport. On behalf of the Gujarati community we request the flight operator to convert at least one direct flight be run from Heathrow. This demand is justified by the fact that...
• About 65 per cent of Gujaratis living in Britain reside in Greater London (within the M25) and another 15 to 20 per cent live in the East/West Midlands, i.e. Birmingham, Leicester etc.
• Second, the 20-30 mile area around Gatwick Airport includes parts of South London. It might be convenient for locals, but Heathrow Airport offers greater flexibility in terms of distance, journey time, and public transport costs for residents in Essex, Hertfordshire, North London, North East, North West, South West, and Central London.
It’s worth mentioning that the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his historic visit to Britain in 2015, made an announcement to resume the London-Ahmedabad-London direct flight, while addressing the enthusiastic audience at Wembley Stadium on November 13. Mr Modi praised the direct flight campaign carried out by Asian Voice-Gujarat Samachar for resuming this flight. The announcement of the continuation of direct flights was welcomed with great enthusiasm as tourists visiting Gujarat knew the importance of this direct flight.
This flight's usefulness is evidenced by the fact that it is usually fully booked in advance.
Although, the management of Air India has made a very concrete decision by choosing to operate the flights from Gatwick Airport rather than Heathrow, our contention is that the company should not only consider the profit-loss, but also the convenience of the passengers. Resuming direct flights between London and Ahmedabad was a great relief to countless passengers. In the past, extensive transit stays in Mumbai-Delhi or the Middle East prevented many elderly people, travelers with disabilities, mothers travelling alone with children, families etc. from visiting their home countries. For these people, direct flight has proved to be a true blessing. The most popular flight for travellers is from London to Ahmedabad or vice versa. Money, energy, and time are all saved.
Several readers have suggested to us that we need to work together to make sure that Heathrow Airport operates at least one direct flight on the London-Ahmedabad-London route. We also want more and more readers to sign up for this campaign. Please share your opinions with me on this matter which will also guide us further.
You can email me on [email protected] or send a letter at our office address (Asian Business Publications Ltd., Units 207-208, Harrow Business Centre, 429-433 Pinner Road, North Harrow, Middlesex, HA1 4HN). Do mention your complete name and address in the letter or email that you forward to me.
Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar are committed to serve its readers, supporters and the community at large. But we are incomplete without your support and guidance.
Yours,
CB Patel
Publisher & Editor-in-ChiefDear readers,
