Air India’s Sales Surge 19.5pc in Gulf Region

Dubai: India’s national carrier, Air India, recorded a 19.5 per cent surge in sales revenue in the Gulf-India sector over past three months, reflecting a rebound in the region’s air travel sector, said Abhay Pathak, regional manager of Air India in the Gulf, the Middle East and Africa region.
The Gulf remains the biggest market for Air India, and Dubai and Sharjah are emerging as important hubs, Pathak said at a travel agents award ceremony in Dubai.
Present at the ceremony, which honoured 17 travel agents in the UAE, were Sanjay Verma, Consul General of India in Dubai, Air India’s business partners in the Gulf and representatives of travel agencies.
“Even for Air India, this region is a very important market and combined, we operate over 200 flights per week — 80 flights under IC code and 100 flights as low cost carriers operating to 17 destinations in India,” Pathak said.
India’s two national airlines — Air India and Indian Airlines — merged in 2007 to form the National Aviation Company of India Ltd, or NACIL. The carriers are now operating under the single banner of Air India, and pending the completion of the integration process, flights are operated under two different codes — IC and AI as legacy products, and the low cost product under Air India Express.
22/03/10 Issac John/Khaleej Times

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Categories: Foreign Mar 2010, NACIL Mar 2010