Jet, Kingfisher looking to South-East Asia for succour

New Delhi: Jet Airways (India) Ltd and Kingfisher Airlines Ltd plan to expand services into profitable routes to destinations in South and South-East Asia this winter season to tap tourist demand which peaks around then.
The move will help the two loss-making airlines utilize their fleets more efficiently. They also stand to benefit from lower jet fuel prices in these markets compared with India.
Jet will launch its direct service between Delhi and Hong Kong using its Airbus SAS made A330 aircraft, double its frequency from Mumbai to Bangkok, and also connect Mumbai with Dhaka over the next three months.
The Delhi-Hong Kong launch is expected to be on 1 October , said a senior government official who asked not to be identified. This will be Jet’s second daily service to Hong Kong after one from Mumbai, said a Jet official who confirmed the move.
Jet connects around 20 international destinations directly and has a fleet of 86 aircraft.
Jet’s rival carrier KingfisherAirlines has also tweaked its strategy on international operations from 15 September by replacing loss-making routes with ones that seem lucrative.
The airline has also applied for permission to fly from Delhi to London but the government hasn’t approved this yet. The airline already has permission to fly to Hong Kong and Singapore.
Kingfisher Airlines has a fleet of around 73 aircraft and and will use its its wide body A330 aircraft to fly international routes of Hong Kong and Singapore.
14/08/09 Tarun Shukla/Livemint

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Categories: Foreign Aug 2009, Jet Airways Aug 2009, Kingfisher Aug 2009