British Airways new fare of Rs 9,990 from Indian cities to London

British Airways, the national air carrier of the United Kingdom, has announced a promotional scheme which offers a basic fare of Rs 9,990 to London from major cities in India in place of the usual basic fare of about Rs 22,000.The special basic fare, British Airways said in a statement, would be applicable to flights from New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore.

However, the discounted flight fare to London does not include the taxes, fees and surcharges, which come to around Rs 18,000 and would be charged extra – making the total fare Rs 27,990.

Passengers can book tickets to London from India on this special fare till March 22, 2009, British Airways said, adding that the offer is valid for travel up to April 12, 2009, in the economy class section and would be available for limited seats. Customers may contact their travel agents or book directly on the British Airways website ba.com

British Airways had introduced the same limited offer in October 2008.

Amanda Amos, British Airways Area Commercial Manager (South Asia), said in the statement that “India is an important market for us and we will continue to provide our customers excellent value for money and unparalleled service that they have come to expect from us.”

Meanwhile, Jet Airways, the airline based in Mumbai, India, has raised its special return base fares for London from Rs 9,900 to Rs 11,900.

The Indian media quoted sources in the air travel industry as saying that many airlines – including Virgin Atlantic, the British airline owned by Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines – were expected to emulate British Airways and cut basic fares.

It may be noted that airlines such as Air India, Etihad, Emirates and KLM-Northwest are already offering fares lower than what are offered by British Airways. British Airways currently operates 48 flights a week from London’s Heathrow Airport to Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata – twice
daily from Mumbai and Delhi, every day from Bangalore, five times a week from Chennai and Hyderabad, and thrice a week from Calcutta.

Meanwhile, British Airways, Europe’s third largest long-haul airline, said in a statement issued in London that the carrier would keep remaining in the red in fiscal 2010 as the global economic recession continues to eat away at demand for air travel.

British Airways announced that it expected its operating result for the year ending March 31, 2010, to be “similar” to the 150-million-pound ($213 million) deficit predicted for the current fiscal year.

The airline has also reported a drop in passenger traffic in February 2009, with premium traffic, in particular, falling sharply.