Air India’s sudden decision and discontinuation of the London-Ahmedabad-London direct flight from Heathrow Airport has generated a wave of anger and anxiety amongst the Indian diaspora, especially in the Gujarati Community. Instead, Air India has shifted this flight to Gatwick Airport and this recent development has disappointed most of the passengers who mainly travel to Gujarat and Western India. Asian Voice has learned that the community is disheartened because this drastic change was done without proper consultation or consideration.
65% of British Gujaratis live in the M 25 range of Greater London. This is also going to affect the travel cost for the passenger. If a passenger residing in North London travels to Gatwick airport, the approx cab charge will be £250 to £300 depending upon the distance to the airport. So, airport pick up and drop, to and fro will cost a minimum of £300 to £600 for passengers travelling from the North or Midland parts. Over that, passengers will have to leave their houses 5 to 6 hours before the flight. This will create more distress for the elderly, children and even passengers suffering from certain health issues.
Due to the higher travel cost and travel time, it would be more reasonable and comfortable for passengers to opt for flights via Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Delhi or Mumbai.
Almost, 1 million Gujaratis make up the British Gujarati diaspora. The London Heathrow - Ahmedabad direct flight was the result of years of a long campaign by the community. In the beginning, there were four direct Air India flights to Ahmedabad which were later on reduced to three flights. The direct flight was reportedly generating good revenue. It was very helpful and comfortable for Businessmen, the elderly and children as it saved a lot of travel time for them. The demand for direct flights was so high that people were unable to get tickets for these flights and airfare was soaring during the travel season. There was an urgent need to increase the flight frequency from Heathrow but instead, Air India shifted the flight to Gatwick.
Rather than shifting the flight to Gatwick Airport, they should have worked on improving their flight booking system for London-Ahmedabad direct flight which was properly set up. The scheduled booking of return from January 2024 is not open yet. Passengers often complain about the Air India flight amenities and the faulty entertainment system on the flight. Tickets are at their all-time high and the facilities are at an all-time low. Recently, many incidents have popped up about Air India staff misbehaving with elderly passengers.
The newsweekly has been approached by many readers and community organisations who are strongly demanding the restoration of the London (Heathrow) - Ahmedabad direct flight. They feel that the main cause behind the London-Ahmedabad direct flight campaign is ignored by Air India management.
Readers of Asian Voice have expressed some common concerns and questions for Air India, asking whether any survey was done regarding the Diaspora’s convenience or inconvenience. Our readers also wonder whether there is any data including facts and figures were concerned before taking this decision. If the majority of the traffic is from London Heathrow Airport, why was flight airport suddenly changed? Why was not any communication or consultancy session carried out with the community?
The London Heathrow-Ahmedabad direct flight campaign
The London-Ahmedabad direct flight was a result of a long campaign initiated by the community. Gujarat Samachar and Asian Voice started this campaign in 1999. A petition was filed and more than 20,000 people signed it. Before starting the campaign, we consulted 28 Travel agents. In 2002, CB Patel met the then Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendrabhai Modi. Through vigorous efforts, the direct flight was started by Vajpayee Government in 2004, but when the UPA government came into force, the direct flight was discontinued. Again, a petition was filed in 2005 and over 30,000 people signed it. When the Modi government came into power, on 13 November 2015, PM Narendrabhai Modi announced to resume the direct flight during his visit at a grand public gathering at Wembley Stadium in London. Thus, the flight started and it was very productive for passengers as well as Air India. But this sudden pullback has created a ruckus among travellers.
