The Hindu Business Line : No immediate plans to launch low-cost service: AI chief

Air India plans to see the outcome of the low-cost long distance flights being operated by the Hong Kong-based Oasis Airlines and soon-to-be-launched service of the Malaysia-based Air Asia before taking a decision on launching its own long distance low cost flights, the airline Chairman and Managing Director, Mr V. Thulasidas, has said.

“If the experiment of Mr Tony Fernandes, the promoter of Air Asia and the Hong Kong airline, clicks then there may be a market for us also. The airline has always maintained that low cost is the future, but we will have to tread carefully,” Mr Thulasidas pointed out.

Low cost services

Oasis Airlines has launched a daily non-stop service between Hong Kong and London, and Hong Kong and Vancouver. Air Asia that currently operates low cost flights from its base in Kuala Lumpur to countries in South East Asia, including Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia has now drawn up plans of launching operations to London.

Air India, on the other hand, plans to increase the flights currently being operated by Air India Express, its low cost arm. “AI Express has 14 aircraft and operates 130 flights a week currently. This would be increased to 200 weekly flights when the fleet increases to 17 aircraft. The plans include operating a daily flight on the Dhaka-Kolkata-Bangkok-Singapore sector and launching flights between Jaipur and Dubai, and Lucknow and Dubai,” official sources said.

The airline also plans to consider the option of operating on the Mumbai-Colombo-Mumbai sector and Delhi-Tashkent-Delhi sectors. Besides, AI Express also plans to have a daily stand alone service connecting Thiruvananthapuram with both Dubai and Sharjah.