Passengers looking for a direct connection from the Indian state of Punjab to the UK have one more reason to cheer. Air India will soon increase the frequency of flights between Amritsar's Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport (ATQ) to London Heathrow (LHR) from once a week to three. This comes as great news for the sizeable Punjabi community in the UK, who often have to rely on connecting flights to reach Punjab.

Three flights a week

Air India has made changes to its Amritsar-London flight frequency in this year's summer schedule. From March 27th, the airline will start deploying its Dreamliners between the two cities three times a week, with flights available until October 2022.

No doubt, this has made the Indian diaspora in the UK and the Punjabi community in particular quite happy. The Global Convener of FlyAmritsar Initiative and Overseas Secretary of Amritsar Vikas Manch Sameep Singh Gumtala and founder Chairman of SEVA Trust UK Charan Kanwal Singh Sekhon issued a joint statement expressing their pleasure at the news.

With the pandemic limiting options of flying internationally over the last two years, AI's decision to increase the frequency on this popular route comes as a relief for many frequent fliers between the two cities.

The Punjab News Express quotes Sekhon as saying,

“I would like to appeal to all travelers who want to visit Punjab to use these direct flights so that the airline is able to continue these flights on a long-term basis.”

Sekhon also plans to continue campaigning to convince more airlines to start direct flights to Punjab. He feels that London would act as a gateway for travel to Punjab and offer excellent flight connections with Canada, USA, and Europe, where the Punjabi population lives in large numbers.

Entrance_to_departures_area_at_Amritsar_Airport
Photo: Nitin Chandra via Wikimedia Commons

Schedule

The departure time of these flights will vary depending on which day you choose to fly. According to the Air India website, its 787s will connect ATQ with LHR to the following schedule:

Amritsar to London

  • Sunday: Departure: 05:25; Arrival: 09:55
  • Monday: Departure: 06:50; Arrival: 11:30
  • Tuesday: Departure: 9:30; Arrival: 14:00

London to Amritsar

  • Saturday and Sunday: Departure: 13:15; Arrival: 02: 05 (next day)
  • Monday: Departure: 17:30; Arrival: 06:20 (next day)
Air India Boeing 787
Photo: Getty Images

Punjab contributes substantially to the overall passenger number flying out of India to the UK. According to some estimates, more than 200,000 people travel between Amritsar and London alone.

With limited options available, fliers often have to take a connecting flight (mainly from Delhi) to reach Punjab. A direct flight of 8 to 9 hours is far more convenient, allowing passengers to avoid long traveling hours.

So far, Air India is the only airline offering scheduled direct flights between the two destinations. The carrier resumed its service between Amritsar and London in August last year, followed by flight resumption between Birmingham and Amritsar a month later.

But AI's monopoly on this sector might soon be challenged by other players, such as British startup flypop, which is eying several Indian destinations, including two cities in Punjab – Amritsar and Chandigarh.

It looks like Punjab is set to receive a lot of love from airlines in the near future.