Patel: Aiming high

London, May 17: Indians are flying into Britain in ever-growing numbers ? and airlines from the country will soon have new ports of call in Birmingham and Manchester, besides Heathrow and Gatwick.

Birmingham is home to Britons from Punjab, while Manchester has spawned a mini Gujarat of its own.

More and more affluent Indians are travelling to the UK where more Indian companies have started funnelling in funds. India is now among the top 10 investors in the UK in terms of number of projects and is now the second largest investor from Asia, creating a number of local jobs.

To cater to the growing demand, more flights are being planned from Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore and even Amritsar.

The projections are that the number of Indians travelling to Britain will jump from 300,000 a year at present to half-a-million in the next few years.

?We want to link Indian businesses with the West?s trading capital ? that?s part of the reason why we have agreed to allow up to 56 flights between London and the two mega metros Delhi and Mumbai and unlimited flights out of other Indian cities,? said civil aviation minister Praful Patel, who flew in here on Air-India?s inaugural flight from Amritsar to Birmingham and on to Toronto.

British travel agency Travelpack?s chairman Ashok Patel says, ?The demand for travel by Indian businessmen to the UK has not only soared but is also broad-based, forcing travel companies to set up offices in more and more parts of the country.?

The United Kingdom, of course, continues to be the largest cumulative investor in India, and the third largest investor post-1991.

According to a report prepared by a British investment agency, over 10,000 Indian-owned businesses, including 140 Indian companies, operate in London and employ 49,000 people. Together, these businesses generate a turnover of over $14.4 billion, representing 5 per cent of London?s economy.

That?s not all. There are now more Indian companies listed on the London Stock Exchange than on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq combined.

These include State Bank of India, Bajaj Auto, Gail (India), Reliance Energy, Raymond, Bajaj Auto, Ashok Leyland, Associated Cement Co, and East India Hotels.

Milan Kamdar, managing editor of London-based Gujarat Sandesh, said, ?It is amazing the way Indians have started investing and buying into Britain. And I am not talking about just the Indian community residing in the UK. They were always known as the entrepreneurial class.?