Mumbai: Despite the downturn in global aviation, Jet Airways (India) Ltd, the country’s largest private airline by passengers, has started earning profits within a short period on some of its flights to West Asia.
High ticket prices and 60% seat occupancy, especially in the business class, has helped the airline post profits on its daily flights from various Indian cities to Muscat and Abu Dhabi, said a person familiar with the company’s operations on this route.
Jet Airways started flying to Muscat in January and to Abu Dhabi in April, after the civil aviation ministry threw open the route to Indian carriers other than state-run National Aviation Co. of India, or Nacil, that runs Air India, at the start of this year.
Traditionally, short international flights, such as to West Asia or Singapore, take at least 12 months to generate profits while long flights to the UK or the US take about 18 months.
Jet Airways, which started international operations in 2004, also flies to Kuwait, Bahrain and Doha in West Asia, and plans to start daily flights from Mumbai and Delhi to Dubai from 23 August. On these other existing routes, Jet Airways claims market leadership and that it attracts maximum local traffic.
Its rival Nacil, along with its low-fare carrier Air India Express, earns 25% of its total international revenue from West Asian operations on 30% seat occupancy, according to a senior company executive, who declined being named.
21/08/08 P.R. Sanjai/Livemint
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