London calling

New Delhi, Sept. 26: Travel to the UK just got cheaper.

British Airways (BA) today announced new promotional air fares, which will see its lowest return tickets between India and the UK selling for just Rs 19,000 from next month.

BA will also offer a 25 per cent discount on first class special, 30 per cent on club class and 50 per cent on world traveller plus fares. These discounts will be on special fares which means that most tickets will be priced at normal rates and only a limited number of tickets will sell cheap.

Its largest competitor ? Air India ? is ready to blink. “We will also do something ... keeping an eye on the dynamics of the market,” Air India director Jitendra Bhargava said.

British Airways has responded to a low Lufthansa offer of Rs 19,999 on a return between India and Germany. Jet Airways, Virgin and Sahara are all expected to slash fares to take on British Airways.

British Airways commercial operations head Alok Sawhney said: “Our special offers are being welcomed by business travellers and holiday makers alike. This offer is valid for flights not only to the UK but also to Europe, the US and Canada.”

“From October, we will increase our flights from India to the UK and commence operations from Bangalore. This is in line with our commitment to serve the Indian passenger with seamless customer service and better connections,” he added.