Business-class only AI flights to Gulf & SE Asia

New Delhi: Having expanded its low-cost network to cover new destinations, Air India plans to score another first in Indian aviation: Exclusive ‘business class only’ flights to the Gulf and southeast Asia. While the Gulf continues to be the exclusive preserve of Air India and Indian — not open to others such as Jet Airways and Air Sahara — destinations in the southeast are known to provide profitability to the national carrier.
While Japan’s All Nippon airline plans to launch ‘business class only’ flights to India, Air-India will become the first Indian airline company to do so.
Among the likely destinations that the state-owned carrier plans to fly includes Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong. A detailed plan for the ‘business class only’ service — aimed at the creamy layer — is likely to be finalised after merger of Air India with Indian later this year. “We are examining the proposal of operating ‘only business class’ flights to the Gulf countries and the southeast Asian nations,” a senior Air India official told ET. Discussions are on and the proposal is yet to be finalised, the official added.
The national carrier is likely to deploy B737-800 aircraft for the ‘executive class’ flights, reconfiguring them with 50 or 60 seats. Air-India has ordered 18 B737-800s and delivery of these aircraft has already begun.
08/02/07 Sunny Verma & G Ganapathy Subramaniam

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Categories: air india feb 2007, foreign feb 2007