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Air Canada decides not to fly India

Ajit Jain
India Abroad Correspondent in Toronto

Air Canada has dropped its plans to fly to India.

An announcement to this effect was made on Thursday by Canada's national carrier and that leaves Canada 3000 to fly direct to New Delhi over the polar route that would save passengers several hours of flight time, said Ram K Sood, director of India Operation at Canada 3000.

Had Air Canada proceeded with its plan, the smaller airline would have dropped its Vancouver flight, said Canada 3000 president Angus Kinnear.

"We found their announcement, I guess, a little obscure because they didn't have a licence to announce what they were going to do."

In an exclusive interview July 12, Sood and their corporate communications manager Angela Saclamacis were all smiles as their major competitor for this lucrative 200,000 India-bound annual passengers market is out of their loop.

"We are going to India for a long haul," Sood said.

It has taken them over two years to research this market before Canada 3000 finally decided to start five weekly flights from Toronto and Vancouver to New Delhi and Bombay.

The inaugural flight is scheduled for October 8 to coincide with first official visit of Canadian Minister for International Trade Pierre Pettigrew to India who will be accompanied by 100 to 150 business executives.

Air Canada had said several months back that it would start flying to India this fall, also using routes over the North Pole that have become available with technological advances and a relaxation of restrictions on Russia airspace.

An announcement in regard to both Air Canada and Canada 3000 starting their direct flights to India was also made by Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Sector Enterprises Manohar Joshi when he visited Canada two weeks ago.

With these direct flights of two Canadian airlines he would be able to visit Canada more often, Joshi said. Little did he know that time that Air Canada was merely toying with the idea that, taking into account the current economic conditions, is not feasible from their point of view, said Laura Cooke, a spokeswoman of Air Canada.

She also attributed their decision to drop out from the Indian route to unspecified regulatory and operational issues.

Air Canada has flown to India twice earlier but the airline has found this route difficult to make money because it is seasonal.

Sood, who was in his private travel business till January this year when he joined Canada 3000 first as a consultant and now as their full time director said it took them over 30 months to investigate this market before they finally decided it was a good market for them.

"We always knew the great potential of this market and we have the reputation and those who have flown on Canada 3000 know our product," Sood said.

"We knew there was a long demand for a direct flight to India and Canada 3000 will be the only airline that will land in New Delhi during the day time - at 1.30 p.m. and that would enable connecting passengers going to other destination to take their flights without wasting much time..

Saclamacis said the brand new state-of-the-art Airbus A340 aircraft will be put on India route that has 262 economy seats, and 32 business class seats. Canada 3000 Airlines was the first air carrier in the world to operate the new wide-bodied Airbus A330-200.

Angus Kinnear, president and chief executive officer of Canada 300 said: "There is an enormous pent up demand now, as many Asian families have established themselves here in Canada and want to go back to their roots which are in India and want some of their relatives and friends come and visit them in Canada."

He reportedly said "there are about 700,000 people of Indian origin (in Canada). They have obviously succeeded in business and entrepreneurial enterprises, and are looking to travel. Also, because of the large Indo-Canadian population, Canadians in general, have an increased interest in India, and want to go and see if for themselves.

"So, I think there is a tremendous potential, firstly taking person of Indian origin back to India, and bringing people from India to visit Canada," Kinnear said.

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