There are more than half a million people from an Asian background living within a one hour drive of Birmingham Airport, 350,000 of these are of Indian origin....yet there’s no direct, non-stop route from Birmingham.


Our Fly India campaign aims to gather support and evidence of the strong support and demand in the region, to reinstate direct, non-stop services between Birmingham and India. We want to show that not only is there a compelling case for such flights but there’s also strong support from our region’s Indian community.


Air India originally operated from Birmingham in the 1980s and then started flights between Delhi-Amritsar-Birmingham-Toronto in May 2005. Sadly it moved its operation to Heathrow in 2008 to secure its valuable slots in the capital. It had promised to return to Birmingham,  but 15 months on we are still waiting for its return.


The success of Air India’s Birmingham operation was never questioned. In the last year alone, it carried more than 100,000 people between Amritsar, Delhi, Birmingham and Toronto and its load factors were often above 85%. Demand, therefore, certainly isn’t an issue.


The potential economical, social and cultural benefits to be reaped from the return of direct, non-stop flights are significant and this has been recognised by the Leader of Birmingham City Council, Councillor Mike Whitby, who has worked tirelessly in gaining support so that the City can lobby the Indian Government to relax the restrictions that are in place on air links between the UK and India.


In fact, Councillor Whitby’s petition launched in October last year has already gained 20,000 signatures. We now want to give the campaign another big push – which is where you can help by giving us feedback and adding your name to the petition.


We will then make a business case to prospective airlines, like Air India, Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways to name but a few. We’ll also meet with representatives of the Indian Government to show that the Midlands’ Indian Community is speaking in one voice and saying that it wants to fly direct, non-stop from Birmingham.

pen How You Can Help...
Sign the Official Petition and join the other 20,000 people who have called for direct flights between Birmingham and India. Why not also leave a comment below to show your support.

Comment Form

Name  

Location  

Email  

Confirm Email  

Message (can be viewed by all)  

We've had 45 comments so far...

Mar 7 2010 9:31PM

Direct flight betbeen Birmingham and India are Viable There is masive Market,Specialy Birmingham to Amritsar most punjabi live in and around birmingham

Mr Surinder Singh Nagra, West Bromwich

Mar 4 2010 10:30PM

bhx needs expansion, times are evolving. rember the saying dont keep all ur eggs in one basket. Cant rely on the budget airlines to take the majority of slots. Look at emirates, the middle east is now thriving as a result. indian Gov needs to wisen up and support this economic growth for britain and indian direct trade links and propsperity.

archie, birmingham uk

Mar 4 2010 10:16PM

It is ridiculous for Bham not to operate flights to India from the second city in the country.Understand poin tof view of airspace and couriers willingtofy from Brum. With a state of the art facilities from Brum this should be number one priority to ease traffic from Heathrow. Also considering the revenue this willbe generarated for the city and enhance local employment and provide a service for the local and adjoining communities.Need I say more without going in further details, this is a loss for the Birmingham authorities and also the airport taxes are too high>where is thejustification of having a airport with locations limited even to Europe?

Hasmukh Kundalia, Birmingham

Mar 3 2010 10:55PM

Fly direct from Birmingham save time,money and arriving to your doorstep either in Birmingham or punjab,Delhi,,mumbai and so on.

Vinod Mehra, Birmingham

Mar 3 2010 9:25PM

Direct flight from Birminham to Chennai will not only benefit me but also many other south indians who live in Birmingham

Siva, Birmingham
12345...
Paul Kehoe The Indian community is the West Midlands’ biggest ethnic group so it’s incredible that there are no direct services to India from Birmingham. We need your support so we have evidence to support our business case that the Midlands offers more opportunities than any other UK region for a successful operation. Please sign our petition, make a comment, and help us welcome direct flights back to Birmingham.
Paul Kehoe
Chief Executive Office, Birmingham Airport
 
Peter Mathews India is a major trading partner for the UK and for the Midlands interest with strong cooperation in the automotive and aerospace sectors in particular, the stronger the linkage we can have between us, the better.
Peter Mathews
CMG President
Black Country Chamber of Commerce
 
Jerry Blackett Chamber members are clear that for their businesses, securing direct access to India is of huge importance to the long-term success of the West Midlands. Our region has an enviable cultural asset in our established links with the Indian continent- and we simply must utilise this if we are to drive growth and recovery here. For their families, our members also want direct flights and they want to ensure that the Midlands gets the direct links with India that it so richly deserves.
Jerry Blackett
Chief Executive, Birmingham and Solihull Chamber of Commerce and Industry
 
Paul Thandi We whole-heartedly support the petition launched by Councillor Whitby last year to see the reintroduction of direct flights between Birmingham and India.
India is a largely English-speaking nation with a growing economy and a wealth of natural resources. Its workforce is made up of skilled, professional and highly skilled workers, with legal, government and financial systems compatible with those in the UK.
The affinity that India shares with the West Midlands through its large Asian community creates a natural connection that will enable the exchange of knowledge, human and financial capital, investment, and best practice.
This direct link from Birmingham Airport would ensure the continued development and strength of the economy in this region and I would strongly urge fellow business leaders in the West Midlands to show their support by signing this petition.
Paul Thandi
CEO, The NEC Group
 
Councillor Mike Whitby On behalf of the people of the region, I launched a petition in October 2009 last year to call for the establishment of a permanent and regular direct flights from Birmingham to India.
So far we have gained 20,000 signatures and this further push by Birmingham Airport is to gather even more support, so we can demonstrate, with little doubt, the overwhelming demand for direct flights between Birmingham and India.
The potential economical, social and cultural benefits to be reaped if these flights were in place would be significant and would be a real demonstration of the natural links that exist between Birmingham, the Midlands and north India.
It is also key to our status as a truly Global City in developing our ever-growing ties with the emerging markets of the Punjab, India and the wider sub-continent.
What we need now is for the Indian community, and indeed everyone, to get behind this petition for a further push to ensure we send a powerful message of unity on this issue to those that can re-start direct flights.
Councillor Mike Whitby
Leader of Birmingham City Council
 
Andeep Mangal The ICAEW in this region continues lobbies keenly on behalf of the interests of the business community. Last year when the issue of flights to Punjab was emerging, we began the discussions by encouraging the West Midlands Business Council to engage a debate with the Indian High Commission in London with reference to direct aviation links.
Since 2006, more than 1,500 jobs have been created by 16 Indian companies. In addition, the Punjabi community in the Region provide greater economic prosperity for both the Midlands and the Indian economy. Despite these clear economic advantages between our two countries, there is no direct service between Birmingham International Airport and the Punjab. As links between our region and India continue to increase, so a regular, reliable service is essential so that business can continue to grow. It's particularly important at a time when the global economic downturn makes international co-operation even more vital.
Andeep Mangal
Thapers Chartered Accountants
Past President of the Birmingham & West Midlands Society of Chartered Accountants
 
Dr. Arun Bajaj The matter of direct flights from Birmingham to Amritsar needs to be resolved urgently, before Indian businesses lose faith in our region.
Dr. Arun Bajaj
Chairman of the Institute of Asian Businesses and MD of Radio XL