The Hindu Business Line : PIA, Garuda eyeing flights to south India

New Delhi June 10 Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is among a host of airlines eyeing opportunities in south India. The airline's Chairman, Mr Ahmad Khan Zaffar, told Business Line that PIA was keen on operating to Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram.

"We would like to operate to more cities in India. But we will have to wait for permission as PIA is already utilising all permissions granted by the Indian Government to operate regular flights," Mr Zaffar said. At the moment the airline operates from Karachi and Lahore to Delhi and Mumbai.

The airline's Senior Vice-President, Mr S. Kamran Hasan, added that initially PIA would operate to the southern cities three times a week. "The service is likely to be operated with an Airbus A-310 type of aircraft and depending on the success of the flight we will increase our frequencies," Mr Hasan said.

Apart from PIA, the Indonesian airline Garuda and Air Mauritius are also keen to either start services or expand existing flights to south India.

Garuda plans to start a four-times-a-week flight on the Djakarta-Medan-Chennai sector from the middle of next year, the airline's Vice-President, Network Management, Mr Risnandi, told Business Line.

"We have been given permission by the Indonesian Government to start the flight which would be operated with a 110-seater Boeing 737-500 aircraft. Depending on the market response to the flight we will consider increasing it to a daily service. We may expand to other Indian cities after the flight is accepted by the market," Mr Risnandi said.

Similarly, Air Mauritius is exploring the option of operating to Bangalore, the airline's Chairman, Mr Sanjay Bhuckory, said. "There has been a steady growth in Indian tourist arrivals to Mauritius and the Bangalore flight will complement the services that we operate to Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai," Mr Bhuckory said.

From the Indian side, Jet Airways plans to start flights from Chennai and Bangalore to its new hub in Brussels, the airline Chairman, Mr Naresh Goyal, said.

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