One consequence of COVID-19 is that London Heathrow Airport has become much more accessible to airlines. With the airport operating at significantly reduced capacity airlines no longer have to pay tens of millions of dollars to secure slots.
So far we’ve seen Eastern Airways launch London Heathrow – Teesside. Vistara will launch its first long-haul route from London Heathrow to Delhi on Saturday 29 August 2020.
Initially, the route will only operate three times weekly on Monday, Wednesday and Friday up to Wednesday 30 September 2020. It is assumed that the airline will seek to extend flights beyond this date subject to clearance from regulatory authorities.
Flights will be on sale on the Vistara website from Friday 21 August. They are on sale now through Vistara’s apps and third party channels.
The exact flight times vary by day. Broadly, flights leave London Heathrow mid-afternoon and arrive in Delhi in the early morning. Flights depart Delhi in the early hours of the morning and arrive in London in the early morning.
Flights will be operated by Vistara’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, which it took delivery of earlier this year. The aircraft is operated in a three class configuration with business (30 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration), premium economy (21 seats in 2-3-2 configuration) and economy class (248 seats in a 3-3-3 configuration) cabins.
There are a number of restrictions on passengers travelling from the UK to India, including transfer passengers, as well as compliance requirements that must be met in advance of travel. Passengers are strongly advised to monitor guidance from the airline and regulatory authorities up to the date of travel. Travel advice for UK citizens is also available from the Foreign Office.
