Gulf carriers Emirates Airline and Qatar Airways are hoping to boost their traffic rights in India after rival Etihad Airways secured additional access into the country.
Etihad, based in Abu Dhabi, saw its traffic rights for India almost quadruple after buying a 24 percent stake in local airline Jet Airways for $370m in April this year.
"We need more seats. Suddenly Etihad has got 33,000 seats more [per week]. We've been asking for revision of traffic rights into India for five years since 2008. Our request predates theirs and the die has been cast in that direction," Tim Clark, president of Emirates, told India’s Economic Times.
Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways, was similarly bullish on the matter. "We are interested to expand further in India. But this depends on the strategy of the government of India. How they want the aviation industry to evolve in this great country of yours. We are requesting for additional traffic rights," he told the newspaper.
05/06/13 Daniel Shane/Arabian Business
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Etihad, based in Abu Dhabi, saw its traffic rights for India almost quadruple after buying a 24 percent stake in local airline Jet Airways for $370m in April this year.
"We need more seats. Suddenly Etihad has got 33,000 seats more [per week]. We've been asking for revision of traffic rights into India for five years since 2008. Our request predates theirs and the die has been cast in that direction," Tim Clark, president of Emirates, told India’s Economic Times.
Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways, was similarly bullish on the matter. "We are interested to expand further in India. But this depends on the strategy of the government of India. How they want the aviation industry to evolve in this great country of yours. We are requesting for additional traffic rights," he told the newspaper.
05/06/13 Daniel Shane/Arabian Business
