Air Transport

Indian carrier Kingfisher Airlines has firmed up plans to launch services to London Heathrow.

The carrier says in a statement it will be launching a daily non-stop Airbus A330-200 service on the Bangalore-London Heathrow route on the 3 September and it has already started selling tickets.

The carrier, which now describes itself as a five-star airline, claims it will offer a higher standard of service than others on the route because it has a more comprehensive selection of programming on its in-flight entertainment system plus it has an in-flight bar and "impeccable cuisine by London's famed Chutney Mary's restaurant".

Kingfisher will be competing on the route against British Airways which has seven flights per week using Boeing 747-400s.

According to ATI's ACAS database the airline has taken delivery of two of the 15 A330s it has on order.