Jet Airways is planning to introduce six flights a week from Mumbai to Newark in the United States from mid-June and aims to step up its daily flights to 21 services a week from India to Singapore in its winter schedule, subject to necessary government approvals.
Daily flights from Mumbai to London are scheduled with leased Airbus A-340 aircraft with plans to step them up to double daily as and when more aircraft would be acquired, Jet chief operating officer Peter Luethi told reporters in Singapore on Friday at the launch of a daily service between Mumbai and Singapore.
He said the airlines was looking for around 15 wide-bodied, long-range and medium-range aircraft during the next one year to fly non-stop to American destinations following the Open Skies Policy signed between India and the US. The flight could be either via Brussels or Amsterdam.
Luethi said the airline would be recruiting 100 locals and from Thailand which would give the it an 'international experience.' They would undergo training in Mumbai and be deployed on flights to London, too.
He said subject to government approval the airline would fly from Chennai and Delhi to Singapore daily providing a point-to-point service and enabling a businessman to return home the same day.
"We are targeting to carry 75,000-80,000 passengers on the first year of operations," he said.
Similarly, Jet would be introducing a daily Chennai-Kuala Lumpur flights from May 5.
Luethi said the airline would continue to concentrate on the domestic sector and will aim at adding more flights this year, including a service to Raipur.
"We aim to operate 100,400 domestic flights this year as against 95,900 flights last year, a nine per cent growth and hope to achieve a 72 per cent increase in the load factor as against 71 per cent last year," Luethi said, adding that the airline should carry nine million passengers as compared to 8.5 million last year.
To meet the domestic growth, the airline would acquire 10 Boeing 737s and take on lease seven more between now and 2006 end. The new 10 Boeings would cost the airline $400 million.
Asked if he sees any threat from the growing number of airlines entering the market, Luethi was confident that with its brand name, Jet would continue to be able to maintain its market share of over 43 per cent.
With the introduction of international flights, the airline is trying to set a different benchmark by introducing better facilities, including increased seat pitch in business class, compared to the other carriers, Jet vice president (marketing) Gaurang Shetty said.
Earlier, a ceremonial welcome was accorded to passengers of Jet Airways' maiden flight and the crew at Changi airport.
The Director General of Civil Aviation, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Wong Woon Liong said last year's traffic between India and Singapore rose 21 per cent from 2002 and 25 per cent when compared to 2003.
