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War of wordshas erupted among airlines. SpiceJet chief operating officer (COO) Sanjiv Kapoor came down heavily on AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes for alleging that domestic airlines, particularly IndiGo, were blocking his venture in India.
On Thursday, Fernandes had lashed out at Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), for putting spokes in AirAsia’s plans. AirAsia wanted to be a member of the group but isnot being given a membership and FIA also tried to persuade the civil aviation ministry not to invite AirAsia and Vistara for a consultative meeting, Fernandes claimed. Besides, Fernandes had announced on Thursday that his airline would soon launch flights to Mumbai,dropping his reservation about not flying to the city because of high airport charges.
In a Twitter message, Kapoor said, “Interesting to see the new entrant foreign airline change strategy every month and claim full planes when loads in the low 70s... But then again, back in July, they claimed they were “soldout” for next two months, when a simple web check could prove that wasfalse.” Although Kapoor did not name the foreign airline, the reference to AirAsia was obvious.
Fernandes has also been perturbed with his rivals, especially IndiGo, for adding flights onvery routes which IndiGo flies at present. Jet Airways too has added flights onAirAsia’s routes.
FIA has moved the Delhi High Court against the ministry’s decision to grant permission to AirAsia and Vistara. In an interview, Fernandes also questioned SpiceJet’s repeated discount offers, terming it “illogical”. He said Kapoor was obsessed with AirAsiaIndia and its CEO Mittu Chandilya, referring to Kapoor’s past comments about his airline. SpiceJet hit back saying that if discount offers were indeed illogical why was AirAsia offering them.
“You can’t learn the jack about a market by sitting inside your hotel room. You got to go out. Very true, if you are a foreigner,” wrote Kapoor on Friday.
On Thursday, Fernandes had lashed out at Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), for putting spokes in AirAsia’s plans. AirAsia wanted to be a member of the group but isnot being given a membership and FIA also tried to persuade the civil aviation ministry not to invite AirAsia and Vistara for a consultative meeting, Fernandes claimed. Besides, Fernandes had announced on Thursday that his airline would soon launch flights to Mumbai,dropping his reservation about not flying to the city because of high airport charges.
In a Twitter message, Kapoor said, “Interesting to see the new entrant foreign airline change strategy every month and claim full planes when loads in the low 70s... But then again, back in July, they claimed they were “soldout” for next two months, when a simple web check could prove that wasfalse.” Although Kapoor did not name the foreign airline, the reference to AirAsia was obvious.
Fernandes has also been perturbed with his rivals, especially IndiGo, for adding flights onvery routes which IndiGo flies at present. Jet Airways too has added flights onAirAsia’s routes.
FIA has moved the Delhi High Court against the ministry’s decision to grant permission to AirAsia and Vistara. In an interview, Fernandes also questioned SpiceJet’s repeated discount offers, terming it “illogical”. He said Kapoor was obsessed with AirAsiaIndia and its CEO Mittu Chandilya, referring to Kapoor’s past comments about his airline. SpiceJet hit back saying that if discount offers were indeed illogical why was AirAsia offering them.
“You can’t learn the jack about a market by sitting inside your hotel room. You got to go out. Very true, if you are a foreigner,” wrote Kapoor on Friday.
