The British Mediterranean, the BA's affiliate, which flies the mother company's flag and has its flight numbers, will make three London-Yekaterinburg flights a week. The new passenger route is in tremendous demand throughout the Urals and West Siberia, say British Airways PR.
The British Mediterranean is offering a franchise, with comfortable A 320 airbuses to connect Heathrow with Yekaterinburg airport, flight length five hours and a half, every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday afternoon.
The British Mediterranean has more than ten Central Asian routes, the points of destination in and outside the post-Soviet area, and is glad to take up the Urals. The convenient flight will surely attract both countries' businessmen, who are expected to make a majority of passengers, Des Heatherington, company manager, said to Novosti.
The UK Consulate General in Yekaterinburg issued three thousand entry visas last year alone, says Sir Roderick Lyne, British Ambassador to Russia.
Negotiations for direct London-Yekaterinburg flights started four years ago. Britain is glad to have had regional governor Eduard Rossel's support on the matter because it is fully aware of rapid economic progress in the Urals and vast adjacent areas, attaches a tremendous importance to the territory, and looks forward to closer economic ties with it.
Sir Roderick exemplified his point with the John Crane-Iskra, a Russian-British joint venture launched toward last year's end to start an industrial activity unprecedented in Russia-assembly of gas seals, parts of high-pressure compressors for gas mainlines and chemical works which use high-pressure pumps.
Great Britain and the Urals have every chance for ever closer partnership in engineering, mining and many other industries, points out the ambassador.
