The Hindu Business Line : Etihad Airways targets 300 pc growth in India

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, is targeting 300 per cent growth in the Indian market and is in talks with several domestic airlines for tie-ups to carry Etihad passengers arriving in India to other domestic destinations. The company's acting CE, Mr Geert W. Boven, said that the company is aiming at increasing the number of flights to and from India. "The company plans to have seven daily flights from Delhi and 14 between Mumbai and the UAE. We also intend to have regular daily flights from Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram."

The airline currently operates three flights per week from Delhi and seven from Mumbai. The other Indian cities that could provide good passenger traffic are Hyderabad and Bangalore, Mr Boven said. But given the infrastructural constraints faced by many Indian airports, how does the company plan to operate so many flights? "We need to find suitable timings for the flights which could be in the lean hours."

Young airline

The airline, which is less than three years old, started the year with 10 aircraft and already has 19. "We have invested $9 billion and currently operate with 19 aircraft to 35 destinations. Another 10 new airplanes are in the pipeline and after we get all the new aircraft, our fleet would be one of the youngest fleet in the world, with the average age of our carriers being less than one year." Mr Charles Phelps-Penry, Regional Manager, said that the company was already in talks with Indian domestic airlines such as Jet, Sahara, and Indian, so that Etihad passengers could reach other destinations with the same ticket.

"We also had talks with Kingfisher Airlines recently. We are looking at connectivity to Kolkata from Dhaka, where we operate regular flights."

The company has already introduced special holiday packages called Etihad Holidays and is in the process of introducing Internet booking from August. It also plans to launch frequent flier programmes.

Mr Boven said: "Our frequent flier programme would be unique in the sense that the passengers would not lose any air-miles. Passengers would be able to buy something or the other with the miles earned, unlike other companies where the system is such that often passengers are unable to utilise the benefits earned."

On the international front, the company is eyeing a move into the European and US markets in a big way, apart from other important commercial destinations such as Shanghai, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur, he added.