New Delhi, Dec 10 :     The bugbear of European and US airlines, Virgin Atlantic, plans to start flights and a price war on the London-Delhi route from next July. Richard Branson, the maverick owner of the airline, today announced a code share pact with Air-India which will allow the UK-based private carrier to fly London-Delhi thrice weekly and back, using Air-India?s unutilised quota of flights to the UK. The 49-year-old millionaire airline-owner, who made a splash a few weeks ago by posing with 10 nude models in Piccadilly Circus to promote his cellphone company, Virgin Mobile, came to the conference venue today on an elephant, creating that perfect photo-op. ?For 16 long years, travellers on the India-UK route have had a choice of just two airlines.... Now, there will be three,? said Branson. He warned rivals that he would sell empty economy class seats ?at whatever price necessary to fill up the plane?. With a grin, the one-time hippie said, ?BA should be worried.? Virgin and British Airways have been fighting a running battle for market shares and routes. ?Competition should be good for the public,? he added. Air-India?s managing director Michael Mascarenhas, who signed the deal with Virgin today, claimed any price war kicked off by Virgin would not affect his airline?s bottomline. Under the code share pact, Air-India will have the right to sell a fixed number of seats on Virgin?s flights. Mascarenhas said this would help the loss-making national carrier financially. Air-India has been unable to fly its full quota of flights to many key destinations, including the UK and US, as its fleet size is quite small at 26 planes. Attempts to buy new planes have been hanging fire for the past five years. Virgin has a fleet strength of 29 aircraft. Both Mascarenhas and Branson seemed confident that their respective governments would agree to the deal. As the number of flights flown and the airline which flies them are decisions taken at a high level by national governments, their concurrence is essential and any disagreement could put paid to Branson?s plans. On whether Virgin would like to pick up a stake in Air-India when the government divests equity in the national carrier, Branson said, ?Our relationship is still ?virgin? and we have to begin our courtship. We?ll see what the future brings.? The pact between the two also envisages cooperation on cargo flights, special pro-rate agreements, product development and cabin crew training. Branson added that he would also scout around to see whether Virgin Hotels, another company he owns, could launch operations in the country. Virgin will fly from Heathrow on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The return flights will take off from Delhi on Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays. But Virgin plans to eventually fly on the London-Delhi route seven days a week. Branson, who promises to be back in India next month on an incognito visit, said his next big ?date? after today?s conference will be a bid to break a French record of sailing across the Atlantic in six and a half days, in a sail-rigged catamaran next week.