British Airways is looking to tempt people from India to Britain with an offer that will help pay for a UK visa.
The airline is providing an offer that will provide customers with a discount equal to the cost of a six-month UK visa. The only thing needed to access the offer is proof that the UK visa was obtained on or after Tuesday, 8 April this year.
Any travellers looking to take advantage of the deal will need to be travelling before Wednesday 31 December this year and tickets must be booked by the end of June this year.
Christopher Fordyce, regional commercial manager for the airline in South Asia, commented on the announcement: “We are excited to introduce these thrilling fares to our customers, making their entire travel experience one of ease and delight. As people begin to plan their holidays, we wanted to give them what they were looking for, by launching this exciting discount offer to travel to the UK, one of the best destinations, packed with an assortment of cultural and historic attractions.”
He added that India is a “key market” for the company, noting that British Airways aims to continue to provide Indian customers with best-in class services.
The offer comes after last month's efforts by British deputy high commissioner for western India, Kumar Iyer, to reassure Indian students that they will be able to access UK visas.
Iyer said that there were some issues with access to visas in recent months, but claimed that students who have sought admission to a reputable higher education establishment shouldn't have anything to worry about.
He said: "We are a very open country and grant visa to 9 out of 10 applicants whereas 96 per cent of business visa applicants get [a] visa.”