National passenger carrier Air India on Tuesday commenced its maiden flight from Ahmedabad to London via Mumbai, making it the first domestic airline to offer direct connection between the two destinations.
The airline said that the inaugural flight AI 131 operated with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport with 247 passengers on board.
"This flight is the fifth frequency as Air India already operates four frequencies to London - three from Delhi and one from Mumbai," the airline said in a statement.
"The passengers travelling by the direct flight will not need to change aircraft at Mumbai."
According to the airline, the daily flight will hugely benefit the 1.5 million-strong Indian diaspora living in Britain and will meet the demand of more than six lakh Indians from the state of Gujarat.
The airline added that the new direct flight will not only benefit leisure tourists but also many corporate travellers.