Kingfisher goes global with daily Bangalore-London flight

Mumbai, Aug 22 (UNI) Kingfisher Airlines, one of the six 5-Star airlines in the world, today announced that it would launch an international service with the debut of daily non-stop flight between Bangalore and London from September 3.

Kingfisher Airlines will be the first airline to operate between India and the UK with industry-leading in-flight entertainment, including live TV channels such as BBC World, CNN International, Bloomberg and EuroSport/ESPN via satellite at every seat as well as some 357 hours of programming on 36 channels, a statement said here today.

Along with impeccable cuisine by London's famed Chutney Mary's restaurant, Kingfisher Airlines will offer guests innovative product offerings, including mood lighting, web chat and email, USB connectors and in-seat plug/chargers throughout the aircraft.

In Kingfisher First, pampered guests will also enjoy in-seat massagers, a bar and bartender, a jacket pressing service, and even spectacles cleaning.

The flight from Bangalore will depart at 0840 hrs and arrive at London Heathrow's Terminal 4 at 1450 hrs, local time. The return flight will depart Heathrow at 1005 hrs and arrive in Bangalore the next day at 1235 hrs, local time. The flights will be operated using a brand new Airbus A330-200, widely billed as the best A330 ever built for any airline.

Dr Vijay Mallya, Chairman and CEO of Kingfisher Airlines Ltd, said ''I am delighted to announce the launch of Kingfisher Airlines' maiden international service between Bangalore and London's Heathrow airport. We will set new standards in international travel with the unique Kingfisher experience that has earned us a 5-star rating from Skytrax.'' ''At a time when many airlines are rolling back on their network, I feel that the carefully selected routes that Kingfisher Airlines will serve have great growth potential. International traffic demand in and out of India remains robust and the unique ties between Britain and India generate attractive additional opportunities. I believe that the Bangalore-London route is under served and the launch of Kingfisher's daily non stop service will exploit the latent potential that exists,'' added Dr Mallya.

Kingfisher Airlines commenced domestic operations in India in 2005 and has since become the largest privately-owned airline in the country following its merger with Air Deccan. The launch of the carrier's London service marks a new milestone for the company with service to additional international destinations to be announced in the near future.

The Airbus A330-200 that Kingfisher Airlines will deploy on the new route will have two classes of service with 30 seats in Kingfisher First and 187 seats in Kingfisher Class. Both cabins feature new and innovative product features and world-class service making the Kingfisher Experience a more natural and pleasurable travel experience, the statement added.

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