Forget busy London, fly to other cities, says UK minister

Suggests connections to Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham, as Heathrow slots are very hard to get

Look beyond London; come to Manchester, Birmingham or Glasgow. That’s what the UK government is telling Indian airlines.

Air India and Jet Airways currently operate flights to Heathrow airport in London. But, they are unable to add more flights as it is nearly impossible to get free slots in the world’s third busiest airport. Air India also flies to Birmingham, about 164 km northwest of the UK capital.

UK’s Aviation Minister Tariq Ahmad was in India to negotiate a new air service agreement, and met chief executives of Jet Airways and Vistara on Wednesday. India and UK already