Gulf carriers swoop down on A-I, Indian

Mumbai:It's one of the most lucrative destinations for India’s national carriers. But that’s steadily changing. Air-India and Indian now face a slew of competitors in the West Asian market as low-cost carriers like Air Arabia and Jazeera Airways swoop down, offering cheaper than-ever fares to the five million non-resident Indians there.
The average one-way fare of Air India (140 flights to the Gulf) and Indian (98 flights) is around Rs 5,000-Rs 9,000. Carriers like Jazeera—offering services from Mumbai and Delhi to Kuwait—is pricing its ticket as low as $30 (Rs 1,380).
‘‘Nearly 34% of India’s total outbound travel is to West Asia. It is a strategic market for us and we plan to add more destinations in the country,’’ says Marwan Boodai, Jazeera Airways’ Chairman and CEO. Apart from Jazeera, the national carrier of UAE, Etihad Airways, is also launching its service from India to Kuwait with a stop in Abu Dhabi and Khartoum.
14/07/06 Indian Express

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