homebusiness NewsBritish Airways: India a key demand driver; remains central to airline's global plans
British Airways: India a key demand driver; remains central to airline's global plans
As British Airways completes a century of connecting the UK and India, the airline's Marketing Director, Hamish McVey, tells CNBC-TV18 why India has a prominent role in its global strategy.
British Airways is gearing up to celebrate a milestone in 2024 -- 100 years of flying to India. As the airline prepares to mark a century of connecting the United Kingdom and India, Hamish McVey, the Director of Marketing at the airline, highlighted the significance of India as a pivotal destination in their global operations.
"The Indian market has always been a huge, important market for us. Next year we are celebrating 100 years of flying to India. So yes, it is in our top three markets we are flying to, we have 56 flights a week, so it is an important place for us,” he told CNBC-TV18 in an exclusive chat.
The aviation industry faced significant disruptions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in the last two to three years, a resurgence in demand has been witnessed in the market, and this demand has been remarkably sustained.
According to McVey, this resurgence reflects the enduring love and passion for travel. “For us, it has been about responding to that. To respond to the demand as it has been coming back into the market. India is a very good example of that.”
In June this year, Sean Doyle, Chief Executive Officer of British Airways, in a chat with CNBC-TV18’s Managing Editor Shereen Bhan said, "The opportunity and potential of the Indian market are incredible; we can see it domestically and we are seeing it economically." Doyle believes the Indian diaspora in the UK is a big opportunity which it intends to focus on.
Doyle also talked about how India is the biggest market for employment for British Airways outside the UK. "India has huge potential in terms of human capital; want British Airways to take advantage of that," he said.
The flagship carrier of the International Aviation Group (IAG) also recently opened its second call centre in Gurugram. The latest call centre is the biggest site globally with 1400 agents.
For more details, watch the accompanying video
(Edited by : Shweta Mungre)
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