Jetstar plans tie up with low cost carriers

Jetstar Asia Airways, the Singapore-based low cost carrier, which had suspended its flight service to Kolkata in May this year, plans to start its operations in some other destinations in India.

The company, in which the Qantas Group has a majority stake of 44.5 per cent, operates five-day a week to Bangalore, it's only destination in India.

Chong Phit Lian, the newly appointed chief executive officer of the airline told reporters here that the company suspended its Kolkata operations since it was not profitable at all.

"However, we plan to launch our services to more destinations in India and for this we are in touch with various agencies to get permission for the same," Lian said.

However, she did not disclose the names of the cities.

Jetstar Asia, which owns a fleet of six Airbus A320s with operations to 10 destinations in Asia, started its operations in India from Kolkata in October last year. The Bangalore flight was started by the company on January 23, 2006.

Lian said passenger load factor in Bangalore flights was around 50-60 per cent. "We started in Bangalore just a few months ago and are steadily moving up since then," she said.

She said though most of the guests were leisure travellers, the company was hoping to see more corporate travellers in future.

"Singapore is a growing IT hub in Asia and as the supply base of IT talents, we are specifically looking at more and more IT people on our guest list," she pointed out.

Jetstar also plans to have a tie up with domestic low cost carriers in India to facilitate drawing its guests to Bangalore from where they can board Jetstar flights for destinations in Asia.

"We welcome the domestic carriers in India and expect to reach an agreement very soon," Lian said.

She also announced the special launch fares for four flights operating via Bangalore-Singapore-Bangkok (Rs 6,000), Bangalore-Singapore-Hong Kong (Rs 7,500), Bangalore-Singapore-Jakarta (Rs 6,000) and Bangalore-Singapore-Taipei (Rs 9,000).

The fares are valid from June 1 to June 15 for travel between June 1 and July 31, 2006, she said.

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