Tenth Anniversary Special
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Corporate
Jet on golden wings
Ashwini Phadnis
FROM four aircraft in 1993-94 to 41 in February 2003; from 12 destinations in 1993-94 to 41in February 2003 Jet Airways is now the largest private airline.
It is also the fastest growing airline in the world. And to think that when the Indian skies were opened in 1993, Jet Airways was one of a host of private airlines to taxi for take off. But along the way, airlines such as Damania Airways, East West Airlines and Modiluft fell out of the skies, while Jet, along with Sahara, played a key role in changing the way in which Indians fly.
Till December 2003, the airline had flown 40.9 millions passengers. Jet's success is attributable to professional management. Tele check-in, smiling faces on the ground, and better service in the air clicked with passengers.
But the biggest triumph for Jet along with other private players was the role they played in fliers getting benefits such as lower fares.
The airline, however, has not been without its share of controversies. The most significant was its source of funding. .
With the Government allowing private players to fly to the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries, including Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Maldives, Jet is set to offer a daily service to Colombo from Chennai, apart from operating five times a week from Mumbai and Bangalore. And, now, with the Government coming forward to help the beleaguered domestic airline industry by slashing half the excise duty on aviation turbine fuel, doing away with the 15 per cent Inland Air Travel Tax and allowing private scheduled operators to fly abroad, better times beckon private players such as Jet and Sahara.
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