Qantas signs codeshare with Jet Airways

DELHI, 10 August 2006 Qantas and India's premier airline, Jet Airways, have today announced a codeshare arrangement that will expand Qantas' network within India from 6 September, subject to government approval.

Executive General Manager Qantas Airlines John Borghetti said the codeshare on Jet Airways meant that Qantas now offered a greater than daily frequency between Sydney and Mumbai when combined with the existing Qantas thrice weekly Airbus A330-300 services. In addition, Perth gains a daily codeshare connection to Mumbai.

"India is an important and growing market for Qantas and this partnership with Jet Airways provides us with an opportunity to further develop our business. We will also offer Delhi, a new point on the Qantas network, with daily connections to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth via Singapore. Cairns, Darwin and Adelaide will also benefit with excellent connections," he said.

"Our customers will travel in Jet Airways' fleet of two-class Boeing 737-800 aircraft," Mr Borghetti said.

Jet Airways Chief Executive Officer, Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, said the airline was pleased to partner with Qantas and launch the codeshare service on the Delhi-Singapore and Mumbai-Singapore routes.

"Australia is a popular destination in the Indian market and the codeshare service will offer a seamless experience on the India-Australia route," Mr Prock-Schauer said.

Qantas Frequent Flyer members can earn points on the codeshare services.

The new codeshare services are available for sale from 14 August.

Jet Airways operates more than 320 flights daily to 44 destinations across India and five international destinations including London (Heathrow), Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Colombo and Kathmandu.

Qantas is the world's second oldest airline. It was founded in the Queensland outback in 1920 and is Australia's largest domestic and international airline. Qantas is recognised as one of the world's leading long distance airlines, having pioneered services from Australia to North America and Europe. The Qantas Group employs approximately 38,000 staff across a network that spans 142 destinations (including codeshare services) in Australia, Asia, the Pacific, the Americas, Europe and Africa.