The Hindu Business Line : Jet set for Brussels hub

New Delhi May 1 Jet Airways, which is to launch its European hub in Brussels on Wednesday, plans to operate flights in a phased manner from six Indian cities to Brussels and onwards to destinations in the US and Europe.

"The airline plans to connect Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkata to Brussels and onwards. The start of these flights will coincide with the delivery of the new aircraft that the airline has ordered. The airline will also look at operating flights to other destinations in Europe from Brussels," sources told Business Line.

At present there is no direct air link between India and Brussels. Air India is the only other Indian carrier to operate flights to Europe and connects to the US and Canada through London, Birmingham, Frankfurt and Paris.

Jet Airways has placed firm orders to purchase 30 new aircraft including the Boeing 777, Boeing 787 and Airbus A-330 with the option of purchasing another 30 aircraft. The airline that took delivery of its first Airbus A-330 on Friday is expected to take delivery of a Boeing 777 in the next few days. These aircraft, sporting the airlines' new look, will be parked at Brussels airport for two days beginning May 1.

While Jet Airways officials were unavailable for comment on why Brussels was chosen as the hub, sources told Business Line that with slot availability at Heathrow for US operations being a major constraint, the airline decided to go through Brussels as a transit point for its US and Canada flights. At present London is the only European destination to which Jet Airways operates regular flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Amritsar and Ahmedabad. The airline has already been permitted by the Government to launch a daily flight on the Mumbai-Brussels-Newark route that will begin operations from August 5.

Jet Airways has also entered into a comprehensive agreement with the Brussels airport authority and the major operator Brussels SN Airline for a code-share and frequent flyer programme agreement. It is not known whether any financial incentives were offered to Jet Airways for choosing Brussels as a hub.

In November last year another European airport, Berlin, was wooing Jet Airways and other Indian carriers by offering a package, whereby airlines would have to pay only 20 per cent of the airport costs during the first year of operations, progressing to full cost recovery during the fourth year of operations.

Jet Airway joins a host of other global airlines including US carriers such as American Airlines, Continental Airlines and Delta that have increased flights across the Atlantic through Brussels.

The launch function of Jet Airways' European hub is to be attended by the Prime Minister of Belgium, Mr Guy Verhofstadt, and the Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Praful Patel.

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