British Airways (BA, London Heathrow) CEO Keith Williams says the airline would consider partnering an Indian carrier to provide it with feeder traffic via its network which currently includes Bengaluru International, Chennai, Delhi International, Hyderabad International, and Mumbai International.

"India is the second largest market (for BA) after North America in terms of (traffic) volume or number of seats. Our business model (with American Airlines) is to carry traffic to the hubs in the US from where they fly them to other destinations (within the US)," he told India's Economic Times. "We will see how the market develops over the next 2-3 years. It is too early to judge at present."

This is not the first time the UK carrier has expressed an interest in enhancing its presence in the Indian market. In 2009, it reportedly held talks with Indian budget carrier GoAir (Mumbai International) over a possible 25% stake acquisition. However, plans to establish an Indian intermediary company to hold its investment in GoAir were scuppered by then Indian investment legislation.