Hyderabad Airport resumes London flights

HYDERABAD: The Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad has resumed its flight operations with Heathrow Airport in London from Monday, under the Government of India’s ‘air transport bubbles’ with other countries, aimed at restarting international air connectivity. This gives a big boost to air travel, which is now showing signs of recovery amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. The first flight of British Airways (BA 276), a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner wide-bodied aircraft took off on Monday with passengers’ early morning from Hyderabad Airport to Heathrow, London at around 7.50 AM. All passengers were serviced through the fully-sanitised Interim International Departures Terminal (IIDT) of GMR Hyderabad International Airport, which has been kept ready for flight operations. Mandatory screening and safety measures were in place during the flight’s handling to protect against the Covid-19 threat including thermal screening prior to terminal entry, mandatory social distancing enforced through special queuing arrangements at all passenger processing points.

 The UK-based airlines British Airways would be operating four times weekly every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Passengers can book their ticket from Hyderabad to London as per the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India. All passengers will have to adhere to the Covid-19 safety guidelines. GHIAL Spokesperson said: “We are happy to restart one of our important destinations under the international air transport bubbles arrangement. UK has always been a key destination for us. We are thankful to the Govt. of United Kingdom and Govt. of India for making this possible. The resumption of this connection between Hyderabad and London would help restore vital economic and social links between Telangana and UK, enabling much needed movement of people and goods.” British Airways Spokesperson said: “Following months of uncertainty caused by the global lockdown, we are delighted to be able to once again provide a direct flight between Hyderabad and the UK. We know many of our customers in India have been waiting to be reunited with friends and family. We look forward to welcoming them back onboard.”