The first of what are to be 12 Air India flights a week from London Gatwick Airport took off on March 26.
The airport said the new routes to Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Kochi and Goa would support tourism and trade between the two countries.
“These exiting routes open up a wealth of new opportunities for our passengers. Some will take advantage of the wonderful cities and beaches India has to offer,"said Jonathan Pollard, chief commercial officer at the airport, which said it wants to open its norther runway for departures to speed up operations and double cargo volumes as its route network expands.
“Our substantial investment in customer service, new aircraft and the brand overall will enable us to gain market share on key routes from the UK to India as well as drive more business and leisure travellers to visit India itself. We are pleased to be launching services from London Gatwick, enabling our passengers to have even more choice on how they enter India," said Campbell Wilson, Air India managing director and chief executive.
"On the back of the UK-India trade relationship, which is worth £34bn to the UK economy, and the creation of a technology envoy in the Indo-Pacific region, the opportunities for businesses within the Gatwick Diamond to further develop strong trade routes to India and the wider region couldn’t come at a better time,"said Brett North, who chairs the Gatwick Diamond Initiative.