Let’s rise to the occasion

Direct flights are not always about spending or making money (see story on p1) It is also not just about the time spent on commuting, but it is about convenience and effort The start of the direct flight to Ahmedabad was a monumental effort Over several years, Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar rallied and campaigned for the direct flight between London Heathrow and Ahmedabad Why did we not choose London Gatwick or Stansted or even Luton in the first instance? Let’s look at the population and demography of the UK Out of 1 7 million Indians living in the UK, 800,000 are Gujaratis

Nearly half of England s Gujarati population live in the boroughs of Harrow, Brent, Barnet and Newham in west, northwest and greater London Reportedly, the community of Wembley has been considered a centre for Gujarati culture and cuisine throughout London and the UK The Parliament has a few Gujarati MPs and Peers in prominent roles, and as a community they have achieved a lot

From Harrow to London Heathrow is roughly 16 miles

Most people living around will drive or take a taxi to Heathrow Airport The business community that goes to central London to work can of course take the Elizabeth and Piccadilly lines on the tube

Gatwick airport, though has been modernised over the last few years, is 53 miles away from Harrow or Wembley and would take hours via train, including changes or by road Not only that, Victoria Station is home to Gatwick Express that provides a quick transfer but costs much more than the usual ride on the tube

In the time cost-of-living crisis, moving flights away from the hub of the settlement is an ill-thought decision

When the Air India flight was confirmed by PM Narendra Modi in Wembley Stadium, at the Namaste Modi event in November 2015, 60,000 people had applauded the initiative, especially curated for India’s “living bridge” The Prime Minister had himself lauded our Editor-in-Chief CB’s perseverance to make this a reality

But still the direct flight campaign wasn’t a cake walk CB Patel, Manoj Ladwa, MPs, Peers, Councillors, community leaders, temples and Ministers in India, rallied and highlighted how the direct flight would ease the difficulties otherwise faced by the elderly, pregnant women and families with young children

The first day when the flight was resumed, people were welcomed and sent off in Heathrow and Gujarat with much pomp and gaiety The London Heathrow and Ahmedabad airport were decorated traditionally, and families were gushing with excitement, thanking the campaigners for their endless efforts Asian Voice, Gujarat Samachar and NCGO (UK) collected petitions from the community from across the country

Today the operations have been shifted to London Gatwick without any prompting or consultation or survey of the community demands or needs This not only makes Air India’s decision one-sided but affects the good-will created, despite all the failures and problems faced by the airlines, before the Tata takeover Despite Middle Eastern airlines providing better service, the diaspora has stuck by Air India, simply as it connected their homeland and motherland with ease

The new CEO Mr Wilson is not wrong to have his own plans, vision or ambition But it cannot be at the cost of the needs of the community Travelling post covid has already become strenuous and a very elaborate affair Digitisation of so many mandatory and precautionary processes unsettle the elderly immensely Adding extra hours and miles to the flying anxiety is not really a wise decision It is time the community rises to another challenge and campaigns with us to win back what was originally promised as ours