Quote: ""If there is demand, can VS not do MAN-LAS direct now that they have the A330s?"
They've always been able to do it direct, and an A330 would be no different."
Sorry, phrased that badly, meant enough demand to fill a smaller A330 if a larger B744 is deemed too big or uneconomical.
Quote: "It was suspended in May 2009 right after a period of deregulation meant BMI, Virgin, Kingfisher and Jet Airways all bailed in at the same time, then realised nobody was making much money. The impetus to go back was Kingfisher going bust in the end, bmi having walked away a while back."
Blimey, was it suspended for that long, doesn't time fly by! Think VS were code-sharing with 9W during the suspension.
LHR-BOM was BD's first longhaul ex-LHR. Can remember them coming off the route as early as 2006 having been on it since the start of deregulation in 2005 (IIRC).
IT were doing both LHR-BOM and LHR-BLR (up against BA) before they went belly-up. Now there's four carriers on the route: AI, BA, VS, 9W.