01.07.09
Manchester Airport is seeking an airline to reinstate a direct air route to India, Refen.net reports. Last week it invited senior figures from the Indian aviation industry to a panel discussion at the hub, to encourage them to revive direct services to the subcontinent.
Currently Indian-based airlines only fly direct to London, after withdrawing services to Manchester in the late 1990s and to Birmingham last year. Although there is interest from airlines such as Kingfisher in serving another UK city, the decision may rest on which city is considered the UK's second city by decision-makers in India.
Dilip Kakar, UK finance manager at Kingfisher, and Shashi Kant Kaundal, a representative for state airline Air India, faced demands from senior British Asian business leaders to reverse their decision to abandon direct flights to Manchester.
Andrew Harrison, commercial director at Manchester Airport, said: ‘There is a perception that the Indian population in England is in the Midlands. What we have to feed back to (Indian decision-makers) is where are the businesses? A huge concentration of firms run by British Indians are in the North-West.'
Manchester Airport is seeking an airline to reinstate a direct air route to India, Refen.net reports. Last week it invited senior figures from the Indian aviation industry to a panel discussion at the hub, to encourage them to revive direct services to the subcontinent.
Currently Indian-based airlines only fly direct to London, after withdrawing services to Manchester in the late 1990s and to Birmingham last year. Although there is interest from airlines such as Kingfisher in serving another UK city, the decision may rest on which city is considered the UK's second city by decision-makers in India.
Dilip Kakar, UK finance manager at Kingfisher, and Shashi Kant Kaundal, a representative for state airline Air India, faced demands from senior British Asian business leaders to reverse their decision to abandon direct flights to Manchester.
Andrew Harrison, commercial director at Manchester Airport, said: ‘There is a perception that the Indian population in England is in the Midlands. What we have to feed back to (Indian decision-makers) is where are the businesses? A huge concentration of firms run by British Indians are in the North-West.'