The impending entry of Air India into Star Alliance, the biggest grouping of airlines globally, has got Lufthansa excited as it may help the German carrier check the growing dominance of Gulf carriers in Indian skies.
Air India's entry into Star alliance, which was mentored by Lufthansa, is likely to be a reality by July. Wolfgang Will, director, South Asia for Lufthansa, recently in an interview told dna Air India's entry would benefit both airlines in terms of giving access to newer geographies. "They (gulf carriers) are growing and we respect that. But that does not mean we should be afraid because we feel that, you can sell your product well on the basis of good quality and reach," he said.
According to a report by aviation consultant, Center of Asia Pacific of Aviation (CAPA), the recent rise of Emirates, Etihad (now with Jet Airways) and Qatar Airways in carrying Indian traffic over their highly effective hubs and across their diverse global networks has completely changed the shape of the Indian long?haul market, as it has in many other markets. "Air India's entry will be beneficial for both airlines, as we will able to reach out to much more customers as before. For us, we will able to tap the Indian market beyond big cities and Air India will have larger access to the European region and beyond. Not only this, it's an advantage for the customer. You can earn miles in one programme and redeem them in another. So yes, that is one of the ways to fight back and compete, and be one of the strongest players in the market," Will said.
16/06/14 Daily News & Analysis
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Air India's entry into Star alliance, which was mentored by Lufthansa, is likely to be a reality by July. Wolfgang Will, director, South Asia for Lufthansa, recently in an interview told dna Air India's entry would benefit both airlines in terms of giving access to newer geographies. "They (gulf carriers) are growing and we respect that. But that does not mean we should be afraid because we feel that, you can sell your product well on the basis of good quality and reach," he said.
According to a report by aviation consultant, Center of Asia Pacific of Aviation (CAPA), the recent rise of Emirates, Etihad (now with Jet Airways) and Qatar Airways in carrying Indian traffic over their highly effective hubs and across their diverse global networks has completely changed the shape of the Indian long?haul market, as it has in many other markets. "Air India's entry will be beneficial for both airlines, as we will able to reach out to much more customers as before. For us, we will able to tap the Indian market beyond big cities and Air India will have larger access to the European region and beyond. Not only this, it's an advantage for the customer. You can earn miles in one programme and redeem them in another. So yes, that is one of the ways to fight back and compete, and be one of the strongest players in the market," Will said.
16/06/14 Daily News & Analysis
