Air India Boeing 787-8 VT-AND the first "dreamliner" to visit Birmingham on Thursday 1 August 2013

Air India Boeing 787-8 "dreamliner" VT-AND was an early evening arrival.... Photo: Ron Kosys

....operating their inaugural flight from Amritsar via Delhi Photo: Robert Jones

.... the first Being 787 "dreamliner" to land at Birmingham Airport

.... touching down on Runway 15

The aircraft rolled passed the Elmdon site.... Photo: Mike Hollick

.... and Birmingham Airport's new Air traffic Control Tower

The "dreamliner" then turned onto Taxiway Charlie....

.... to receive a water cannon salute from Birmingham Airport's

.... new "Striker" Fire fighting vehicles Photos: Laurence Jones

From the other side the salute was a little wetter! - with a strong southerly wind you can see
the wall of water already moving across the apron and the awaiting crowd had a good soaking!

Air India Boeing 787-8 "dreamliner" parked on Stand 42C.... Photo: Mike Hollick

.... at the end of the International Pier

Now the aircraft is on stand Paul Kehoe, CEO of Birmingham Airport, leads out the VIP's....

.... with the cake cutting being performed by Sir Albert Bore, Leader of Birmingham City Council,
Rohit Nandan, Chairman of Air India, and Paul Kehoe, CEO of Birmingham Airport

    

The cake!

All this took place at the rear of the aircraft as the baggage was unloaded

Meanwhile the "Dholl Blasters" provided musical entertainment....

.... and certainly kept the media occupied!

No point having "787" painted on the stand if you don't have a "dreamliner" to park on it!

Time now to have a look on board the Boeing 787 "dreamliner"....

.... the cockpit

Paul Kehoe, CEO of Birmingham Airport is interviewed about the new Air India service
and other developments at the airport by Derek Pedley of airteamimages.com ....

.... in the spacious Business Class section of the aircraft

All Economy passengers have a seat back video entertainment system

Time to say goodbye - the return flight was checking in....

.... the inaugural service back to Delhi and onto Amritsar

A big well done and thank you to the team from Birmingham Airport
for organising another very successful launch event!!

Thursday 1 August 2013

Air India suspend their flights to Amritsar and Delhi

Wednesday 13 March 2019

Air India increase frequency of service to Amritsar from Birmingham with two flights every Saturday

Air India has increased the frequency of its non-stop service to Amritsar from twice weekly
to three times a week from Saturday 5 May 2018, just a few months after starting the route

The additional nonstop service - which increases Air India's services to Birmingham Airport
to 8 flights a week - is scheduled for Saturday evenings and is in addition to the non-stop
flight from Delhi resulting in two Air India Boeing 787 "dreamliners" on the ground at the
same time. The new Amritsar service now operates every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

Amritsar allows direct access to the major commercial and cultural centre in the heart of
the Punjab and it is home to the Golden Temple. Air India has been a successful partner
at Birmingham Airport for over four years after launching a Delhi flight in August 2013.
This service alone has already carried over 600,000 passengers since its launch

Air India Boeing 787-8 VT-ANX operated the non-stop service from Amritsar
Tom Screen, Acting Aviation Director at Birmingham Airport, said: "Amritsar was a new
route which Air India launched from Birmingham in February this year. It's great to see the
airline increase the frequency of flights within only the first few months of this route starting"

"No other UK airport currently operates a direct service to this destination and so we expected
it to be popular. With over 200,000 British-Indian people travelling to India each year to visit
friends and relatives, and for tourism and business interests, this additional flight shows the
large demand within the region for direct Amritsar services from the Midlands" 

Air India Boeing 787-8 VT-ANL had earlier arrived non-stop from Delhi 
Mr. Pankaj Srivastava, Commercial Director and Board Member of Air India, said: "Air India is
committed to serving the needs of Indian Diaspora settled worldwide and the long-standing
need for direct connectivity between Punjab and Birmingham"

"We are delighted to add one more frequency per week between Amritsar and Birmingham
from Saturday 5 May 2018 making it a three times a week operation. We are confident that
with the strong partnership with Birmingham Airport, we together will be able to grow traffic
flow from the Midlands to India"

The additional Amritsar flight will be operated by the new Boeing 787-8 'Dreamliner' aircraft.
The cabin comprises of 256 seats with 18 lie flat business class seats and 238 in economy class

Air India - summer schedule from Saturday 5 May 2018

1800/2130 AI113/114 788 from/to Amritsar via Delhi
- operates daily except Tuesday and Thursday
1815/1945 AI117/118 788 from/to Delhi via Amritsar
- operates on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday  

www.airindia.com

Saturday 5 May 2018

Air India to fly non-stop from Birmingham Airport to Amritsar twice weekly and onto Delhi from 2018

William Pearson, Aviation Director, Birmingham Airport and Mr Pankaj Srivastava,
Director - Commercial and Board Member of Air India

Air India, which already operates a hugely popular daily non-stop Boeing 787-8 service
from Birmingham to Delhi, plans to re-route two of their weekly flights in 2018 to operate
non-stop to Amritsar, the home of the Golden Temple, before continuing onto Delhi

William Pearson, Aviation Director, commented: "It is great news that we will have non-stop
connections to two Indian cities.  With over 200,000 British-Indian people who travel to India
to visit friends and relatives, and for tourism and business interests, this additional destination
shows the large demand within the region for non-stop Amritsar services from the Midlands"

Mr Pankaj Srivastava, Director - Commercial and Board Member of Air India said: "We are
delighted that we are able to announce that we are planning to commence non-stop services
between Birmingham and Amritsar twice a week, starting early 2018, recognising the consumer
demand from the Midlands' region to Amritsar, Punjab.  Air India is always very sensitive to the
needs of the consumer and is pleased to be connecting the two cities thereby adding a new city
pairing for Air India's expanding global network with the only non-stop UK Amritsar service"

The Air India service, which restarted in August 2013, has been a great success offering passengers
the opportunity to travel directly from Birmingham to Delhi and Amritsar. The service has carried
almost 500,000 passengers in the four years it has operated offers great onward connections from Delhi
with flights by the Boeing 787-8 dreamliner aircraft offering 18 business class and 238 economy seats

 www.airindia.com

Friday 24 November 2017

Air India and Birmingham Airport celebrate the start of daily "dreamliner" flights to Delhi and onto Amritsar

William Pearson, Birmingham Airport's Aviation Development Director (front left) and Vishwanath Panyam, Air India's
Astt. General Manager (front right) are pictured with Captain Chowdry and the flight crew on board the new Air India
Boeing 787 " dreamliner" service to Delhi and Amritsar from Birmingham Airport on Sunday 21 December 2014

Air India and Birmingham Airport celebrated the start of daily flights between Birmingham, Delhi and Amritsar

today, Sunday 21 December 2014 after the carrier took delivery of its 18th Boeing 787 "dreamliner"

By increasing services from four to seven, Air India now offers more than 3,500 seats on the route each week,

with additional services operating on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. This growth comes just 16 months after
launching the Birmingham route, which has carried around 110,000 passengers

 

Speaking at the launch of the new schedule on Sunday evening, William Pearson, Birmingham Airport’s Aviation

Development Director, said, "The start of this new schedule by Air India this weekend means that Midlanders
now have even more choice and direct access to India from Birmingham and we are very thankful to Air India

for recognising the huge demand in Birmingham’s catchment from business and leisure travellers"

Vishwanath Panyam, Air India’s Astt. General Manager, added, "There is a vast market in the Midlands region,

which is home more than 200,000 British-Indian people who visit India to visit friends and relatives as well as

many  Indian owned businesses. Air India is therefore pleased to be able to offer more capacity and connectivity

to this market across the whole of India on the comfortable, quiet and state of the art Boeing 787 "dreamliner"

 

Flights arrive from Amritsar and Delhi at 1700 daily and depart from Birmingham for the return leg at 2030 each

evening - the "dreamliner" operates a 256 seat cabin, consisting of 18 business class and 238 economy seats

 www.airindia.com

Sunday 21 December 2014

Air India to increase Delhi and Amritsar service to daily flight from Sunday 21 December 2014

Air India have confirmed that they will be increasing their Birmingham-Delhi-Amritsar

service to a daily flight with effect from Sunday 21 December 2014 

  

The flight is operated by a Boeing 787 "dreamliner", which has a 256 split seat cabin

consisting of 18 business class and 238 economy seats, and this increase in frequency will

provide an extra 1,500 seats a week and give passengers greater choice, flexibility and

opportunity to travel from the convenience of Birmingham Airport to Amritsar and Delhi,

and onwards on Air India’s extensive global network which is now part of the "Star Alliance"

Air India schedule at Birmingham Airport from Sunday 21 December 2014

1700/2030 AI113/114 Boeing 787 "dreamliner" from/to Amritsar via Delhi
- operates daily - Air India

 www.airindia.com

  

Wednesday 26 November 2014

Air India commits to daily "dreamliner" flights from Birmingham Airport effective from November 2014

Air India has committed to increase its Birmingham-Delhi-Amritsar operation from four flights per week to
daily services from November 2014, when its 18th Boeing 787 "dreamliner" aircraft is inducted into service

Announcing the growth plans at a celebratory dinner on Friday 1 August 2014 to mark Air India’s first
anniversary of operating from Birmingham Airport, the airline’s Commercial Director, Mr Pankaj Srivastava,
who flew over from India for the celebration, said: "Since starting our four times weekly "dreamliner"
programme from Birmingham Airport last year, we have handled more than eighty thousand passengers
on board 210 flights, serving business passengers, tourists and people visiting friends and relatives. Air India
is committed to develop and grow in this market and once we have taken the delivery of our 18th "dreamliner"
aircraft in November, we hope to launch the daily operation from Birmingham Airport"

"This will provide an extra 1,500 seats a week and give passengers greater choice, flexibility and opportunity

to travel from the convenience of Birmingham Airport to Amritsar and Delhi, and onwards on Air India’s

extensive global network". Air India’s current schedule operates from Birmingham each Saturday, Monday,

Tuesday and Thursday on its Boeing 787 "dreamliner" aircraft, which has a 256 split seat cabin consisting 

of 18 business class and 238 economy seats. Air India is now a member of "Star Alliance"

Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’s Chief Executive, said: "We are extremely thankful to Air India for recognising

the demand from travellers needing the flexibility of daily services from Birmingham. The West Midlands

receives more foreign direct investment from India than any other region outside of London and Birmingham’s

VFR market grew by 71% in 2013, now attracting more visitors from India than any English city other than

London. It’s therefore not surprising that the route has been such a success in its first year and I am certain

that a daily service would make the Birmingham route even more appealing to Midlands’ travellers"

Air India schedule at Birmingham Airport from November 2014

1700/2030 AI113/114 Boeing 787 "dreamliner" from/to Amritsar via Delhi
- operates daily

www.airindia.com

Tuesday 5 August 2014

Air India carries 50,000 passengers from Birmingham Airport in first six months of new service to India

Birmingham Airport Aviation Development Director William Pearson (left) receiving the commemorative
plaque from the Shri 108 Sant Sarwan Dass charitable trust, with Vishwanath Panyam, Air India station
manager at Birmingham Airport (centre right)

Air India and Birmingham Airport are celebrating after carrying 50,000 passengers

on board over 200 Boeing 787 "dreamliner" flights between Birmingham and India,

since launching in August last year

To celebrate its success in the first six months, leaders of the local Sikh community

presented Birmingham Airport with a commemorative plaque to thank the team for

launching the flights last year and reconnecting Birmingham with Delhi and Amritsar;

an important spiritual centre for the Sikh faith

Speaking at a ceremony held at Birmingham Airport last week, the Airport’s Aviation

Development Director, William Pearson, who received the plaque on behalf of the

airport, said: "The Midlands has the second largest Asian community in the UK, so

it’s no surprise that the airline has carried its first 50,000 passengers and experienced

over 80% load factors on the route since launching in August 2013

   

"The four times a week service to Delhi and Amritsar, using the brand new Boeing 787-8

"dreamliner" aircraft, with two configurations of business and economy class isn’t just

ideal for those visiting friends and relatives, but also offers corporate travellers

connections across India, Asia, Europe and North America from Delhi. Air India will soon

be part of Star Alliance which gives passengers a choice of world-wide connections"

Shri 108 Sant Sarwan Dass Charity trustee Nirmal Dass presented the plaque to the
Airport. He said: "This service is incredibly important to the entire Asian community
across the region. We’d like to say a big thank you to Air India and Birmingham
Airport for providing these direct links to Delhi and Amritsar from our local airport"

Vishwanath Panyam, Air India station manager at Birmingham Airport, added:
"Reaching this impressive milestone in just six months clearly demonstrates the
strong demand that exists for this service. It has proven to be tremendously popular
amongst the region’s Asian community, for business and leisure passengers alike!

The service operates each Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, arriving from
Amritsar and Delhi into Birmingham at 1700 hours and departing to Delhi and Amritsar
from Birmingham at 2030 hours. The 256 seat B787-8 series aircraft has a split cabin,
consisting of 18 business class and 238 economy seats.  Birmingham is only the second
UK airport to operate dedicated Boeing 787 scheduled services

Passengers wanting to fly business or economy class with Air India can do 

so with very attractive fares from Birmingham. Tickets can be booked at

 www.airindia.com

Wednesday 19 February 2014