The Hindu Business Line : AI launches twice-weekly flight on Ahmedabad-Dubai sector

AIR India, which did business to the tune of Rs 1,225 crore in the Gulf and West Asian regions in the fiscal ended March 2004, has launched a twice-weekly flight on the Ahmedabad-Dubai sector this week in a bid to meet the demand on the route.

Mr Sanjeev Talwar, new Regional Director, Gulf, West Asia and Africa, who has just taken over his post in Dubai, told Business Line that the new operation is routed from Mumbai to Ahmedabad and on to Dubai two times a week. Air India is also planning to slap fuel charges on ticket fares averaging Dh 35 (around Rs 432.25) for one-way and Dh 70 (around Rs 864.50) for two-way on the Gulf-India sector.

Mr Talwar said that the move, approximating to around 3 per cent of the average one-way ticket charge on the sector, is in line with a decision taken by the Board of Airline Representatives (BAR).

He indicated that all the member airlines had gone ahead with this decision. The surcharge will be applicable to all cities across the globe where Air India operates, and will continue till further notice.

Mr Talwar said revenues for the airline in the lucrative Gulf region had remained static and were almost the same in the last fiscal, as in 2002-2003.

He attributed this mainly to the drop in yields on the Indo-Gulf sector. The Gulf region accounts for 28 per cent of Air India's global business.

In the coming period, Air India has chalked out a strategy to increase loads in the growing regional market in a bid to garner its rightful share. He did not, however, envisage a visible increase in new routes or frequencies till October and possibly till March next year in view of the absence of extra fleet capacity in this period.

The airline was, however, planning to run some extra sections during the peak summer season starting this month, if clearances were obtained, he said.

It is also looking at introducing value additions in the executive class to tap the professional and business clientele in the market as part of its strategy.