Foreign carriers add flights, destinations in India

Mumbai: Malaysian low-fare international carrier AirAsia Berhad last week declared it would “rock and paint the Indian skies red” by adding six direct flights to five new destinations in the country between 17 May and 4 August 2010.
AirAsia’s move to add Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi to its existing portfolio of Indian cities is part of a growing trend. Foreign airlines are cautiously adding capacity on their India routes over the next six months, after having burnt their fingers in early 2009, a year that Giovanni Bisignani, director general and chief executive of the International Air Transport Association (Iata) said “…goes into the history books as the worst year the industry has ever seen”.
Among airlines that are increasing their presence in India are Singapore Airlines (adding three flights a week), Austrian Airlines (one flight a week), Emirates Airlines (eight a week), Qatar Airways (seven a week), Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd (four new flights in May and three in July), Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s Swiss International Air Lines Ltd (two a week).
“By boosting connectivity for Indian travellers from key gateways, our aviation group responds to encouraging demand trends in this strategic market,” said Axel Hilgers, Lufthansa’s South Asia director.
The timing of the additions to capacity and destinations coincides both with a recovering economy and a buoyant performance by most domestic airlines. “We are back in action. Loads are back. Demand is up. However, yields are a bit sticky and we see that returning only this year,” C.W. Foo, general manager (India) for Singapore Airlines told Mint.
Singapore Airlines will operate twice daily to both cities beginning March and June, taking its total flights to 14 a week.
The spurt in capacity could hurt domestic airlines that have international operations as well. India’s second largest airline by passengers carried, Kingfisher Airlines Ltd, which currently connects seven international destinations, plans to utilize a narrow-body fleet on short-haul markets in West and South Asia.
01/02/10 PR Sanjai/Live Mint

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Categories: Foreign Feb 2010, Indian Aviation- In General Feb 2010