Air India celebrates 70th year of independence with non-stop route to London
Coinciding with its India's 70th year of independence the country's national airline is set to launch non-stop flights from London to Ahmedabad and Newark.
The services will commence on 15 August, reducing the journey time for up to three and a half hours, utilising Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Read more: Private jet membership set to take off in 2016
The airline expects the service to benefit the Gujarati community in the UK, who it says often visits family in India for weddings and to celebrate Diwali.
"This move has been long overdue for the Gujarati community in the UK," the airline said.
Meanwhile, the London-New York sector is hoped to attract business and leisure travellers based on either side of the Atlantic.
Read more: Farnborough Airshow – a raft of deals unveiled
Tara Naidu, regional manager of UK and Europe for Air India said: "We are delighted to announce the introduction of non-stop flights from London Heathrow to Ahmedabad, a popular destination for the huge Gujarati community in the UK.
"We are excited to restart flights from London Heathrow to the USA. Both these direct flights commence from 15 August 2016 coinciding with India entering its 70th year of independence."
The announcement comes after research released earlier this week from ForwardKeys, a travel researcher, found air bookings to the UK jumped after the EU referendum result caused the pound to fall.