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Tariq Engineer

To focus initially on South

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Mumbai Feb. 22 Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, wants to dramatically increase its India operations.

"(We want to) at least triple the number of flights we fly to and from India in the course of the next 12 to 18 months," Mr Charles Phelps-Penry, Regional General Manager, Asia Pacific, Etihad Airways, told Business Line.

The airline currently operates a daily flight out of Mumbai and three flights a week out of Delhi. The airline plans to double the number in the Mumbai sector. and operate daily flights out of Delhi.

"Initially, our focus will be on the South,'' he said.

"We'd like to add two destinations this year, if we get permission. (It will be two out of) Kochi, Bangalore, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram and Hyderabad."

"Discussions are under way between the UAE and India and we are expecting a date for formal bilateral talks to be confirmed soon. The outcome of those talks will let us know what we can do," he added. Mr Phelps-Penry said load factors on Etihad's India routes average over 70 per cent year round, while the current load factors are in the 80s. "Mr Phelps-Penry dismissed concerns that the Indian traveller is particularly price-conscious and therefore, potentially less likely to fly a premium airline.

In order to fuel its expanding network, Etihad is in the process of taking delivery of 29 new aircraft — Boeing 777s and Airbus 320s, 340s and 380s — worth $8 billion.

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