The Hindu Business Line : Austrian Airlines plans more flights to Mumbai, Delhi

AUSTRIAN Airlines plans to start a five-times-a-week flight on the Vienna-Mumbai-Vienna sector from May 1 next year, the Country Manager, India, Mr Bernhard Baeck, said here on Wednesday.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Baeck also announced that the airline would be operating two additional flights on the Vienna-Delhi-Vienna sector from January next year.

"We will operate nine flights a week on the Vienna-Delhi-Vienna sector from January 12 next year. The two additional flights, which will be daylight flights, will remain in operation during the limited open sky period of the Indian Government," Mr Baeck said. The airline has already announced that it would operate a daily service on the Vienna-Delhi-Vienna sector from November this year.

The Indian Government has said that international airlines will be allowed to either operate more flights or bring in larger aircraft between November 1 this year and March 31 next year under the limited `open sky' policy.

Airline officials said that the two additional flights, which will arrive in Delhi every Sunday and Wednesday, would offer convenient connections to passengers travelling to various cities in Europe.

Meanwhile, the airline has also advanced the timing of its regular flights to Delhi for a limited period of time from mid-December this year.

Later answering questions, Mr Baeck said that the airline hoped to start operating a daily flight between Mumbai and Vienna from the winter schedule of 2006. The flights to both Mumbai and Delhi are being operated under a code-share agreement with Air India.