Watch: PM Keir Starmer’s surprise message from cockpit on UK flight to Mumbai
Keir Starmer arrived in Mumbai, aiming to enhance India-UK ties. His visit will conclude with a meeting with PM Modi to discuss FTA and strategic partnership.
“This is the prime minister. I am in the cockpit and a very warm welcome to BA flight 910 to Mumbai…”
It is not every day that passengers on a London–Mumbai flight hear those words from the pilot’s seat, especially when the voice belongs to the British Prime Minister himself. But Keir Starmer chose an unconventional way to kick off what he called the “biggest trade mission to India the UK has ever sent".
As the aircraft began its descent into India’s financial capital, Keir Starmer’s warm in-flight message set the tone for a visit packed with economic ambition.
“It’s really fantastic to have you all on board,” he told delegates. “I am much looking forward to working with you as we explore all of the opportunities and take full advantage of the opportunities in our new free trade agreement… Safe flight everybody. Enjoy the flight… and I will give you further information once I have been taken off. Thank you,” he is heard saying in a video clip which was posted on his Instagram account.
Watch the video here:
Keir Starmer in Mumbai
Keir Starmer, who arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday along with a high-powered business delegation, was received at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, and governor Acharya Devvrat.
The British leader’s two-day visit will culminate in a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, where the two sides are expected to take stock of the India–UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the roadmap for Vision 2035.
Starmer is pushing to see the India–UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) implemented “as soon as humanly possible", Bloomberg reported.
Addressing delegates from the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel’s grand staircase, he said, “Our job is to make it easier for you to seize the opportunities. On the plane home, I want each of you to tell me what you got out of this trip — a deal, a contact.”
The visit, Starmer’s first to India as prime minister, brings together over 100 British business, academic, and cultural leaders, underscoring the UK’s renewed focus on India at a time when Washington’s trade posture is turning more protectionist.
Across Mumbai, the British prime minister’s arrival was hard to miss, with billboards featuring Starmer and Modi lining major roads, celebrating the two countries’ deepening ties.
India-UK trade talks
Starmer’s trip comes as trade between the two nations gains new momentum under the FTA. British Airways, on cue, announced plans for a third daily flight between London Heathrow and New Delhi, signalling the growing economic and people-to-people engagement.
Yet, even as he pitched for deeper commercial links, Starmer made it clear that the visa regime remains unchanged. “The visa situation hasn’t changed with the free trade agreement — we didn’t open up more visas,” he said. “The issue is not about visas — it’s about business-to-business engagement and investment and jobs and prosperity coming into the United Kingdom.”
(With inputs from PTI and Bloomberg)
