Jet Airways opposes foreign carrier investment in Indian airlines

Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal, on the sidelines of the IATA AGM, stated he is not in favour of allowing foreign airlines to invest in Indian carriers (Live Mint, 09-Jun-2011). "Our country is (already) more liberal than most countries," he said. The carrier plans to increase its focus on international operations and order long and medium-haul aircraft. Mr Goyal also stated the carrier was in talks with international airline alliances such as Star Alliance and SkyTeam but is yet to decide on which one to join. Members of such alliances cooperate in ticket sales and operations.

Jet Airways: "We are preparing ourselves on how to take on competition and position ourselves as an Indian carrier with our brand reputation, name, reliability and use our hubs between (New) Delhi and Mumbai, and then bring the traffic from Europe (to South Asia and Southeast Asia). No Indian carrier has ever carried traffic beyond India. We have already started it. In London, we have replaced many carriers (in flying passengers) to Bangkok. Brussels still continues to be our hub. We have added Milan. We are looking at some points in Europe such as Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, some places in Germany, (and) continental Europe, because we are seeing where the Gulf carriers are carrying the traffic from. Then in China, we are looking again to introduce Shanghai, we are studying Beijing so that India can participate (in this traffic). It's not only for Indian traffic to use our hubs (Delhi and Mumbai airports)," Naresh Goyal, chairman. Source: Live Mint, 09-Jun-2011.