New Delhi: Middle-Eastern carriers have upped the ante to snare overseas-bound Indian travellers with lower fares this season, with Etihad and Emirates being the first to stir the market with discounts, much to the dismay of India's national carrier Air India.
On Sunday, Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad, which bought a stake in Jet Airways last month, quietly announced discounted fares for a limited period for travel to cities in the EU, US and Africa from various Indian cities. On Monday, arch-rival Emirates, the largest foreign carrier in India by market share, responded by offering network-wide savings of 8% to foreign destinations.
Air India fears the discounts are part of Etihad's long-term strategy of pulling fares down in order to capture a large chunk of Indian traffic to overseas destinations.
21/05/13 Anindya Upadhyay/Times of India
