Jet plans flights to Shanghai, San Francisco

Jet Airways is planning to launch flights to Shanghai, San Francisco and Washington from New Delhi and Mumbai by February. The company also intends to raise Rs 500 crore via equity dilution.

Addressing a ceremony to launch a daily service between Delhi and New York (JFK Airport) via Brussels, Naresh Goyal, chairman, Jet on Friday told reporters that besides Shanghai and San Francisco, the private carrier was also considering flights to Washington DC in the near future.

The company is yet to decide on the date it wants to raise the equity capital and may also reconsider the amount to be raised, company sources said here. Jet had earlier planned to raise funds through a rights issue but the plans were postponed.

The Brussels Airport, the company's global hub, connects passengers to New York and Toronto via Brussels - from Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. The company also offers seamless connectivity from Brussels to key cities in Europe and Africa.

The company also appointed Captain Hameed Ali as the executive vice-president (operations and engineering), the airline added.

With Jet establishing a global hub at Brussels, Goyal said the Belgian government was planning to enhance the bilateral air service agreements to provide for 56 flights each week between India and Brussels.

"We are also connecting from Brussels to 14 countries in Africa," Goyal said, adding that the connectivity to all European countries from the Belgian capital had become easier.