Industry body Europe India Chamber of Commerce (EICC) has sought additional Air India flights to Brussels, following Jet Airways deciding to shift its European base to Amsterdam from next month.
The additional services would help Air India maximise its European and long-haul connections to Latin America and Africa, EICC said in a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju.
There is potential for joint venture and code sharing with Belgium's national carrier Brussels Airlines which has made significance presence in Latin America and Africa with several new routes, the grouping said.
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EICC Secretary General Sunil Prasad said there is a great potential for Air India to make Brussels its hub as it would serve the airline's long-term strategic business interest in Europe.
Jet Airways would be shifting its operations from Brussels to Amsterdam Schiphol for flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Newark and Toronto from March 27. The airline has been using Brussels as its hub since 2007.
"Given that Jet Airways used to fly with full capacity to all the sectors, I am of the view that if Air India decides to operate, it can easily expect to fly more than 1,000 passengers every day in the four sectors the Jet used to fly," Prasad told PTI.
He noted that considering India's increasing trade and economic relations with several European countries, it would make a lot of business sense for Air India to spread its wings in Europe.
"The origin and destination between India and Brussels is a lucrative sector which must be exploited in full.
"The space created by the shifting of the Jet Airways to Amsterdam offers India's national carrier Air India a unique business opportunity to make Brussels its hub for maximising its European and long haul connections to Latin America and Africa," the letter, dated February 1, said.
Further, Brussels-based EICC said Jet Airways has been able to build a significant loyalty and trust in the Brussels-North America market with most flights going full.
Lohani said no other airline connects Europe and the
United States better than Air India with non-stop service being its USP.
"No airliner connects Europe better than us. Today, we have nine direct destinations to Europe and we also have four direct destinations to the US - that is Chicago,Newark, San Fransisco and New York. Our USP has been to giveno-stop service. In contrast, other air carriers give indirect services, internationally," Lohani said.
To a query, he said unlike private airliners including Indigo and GoAir, who are continuously adding capacities in domestic sector, Air India has not been doing so.
"Like all the private carriers like Indigo, GoAir, SpiceJet, who are in competition, they are continuously adding capacities, whereas in domestic side we have not been adding capacities till now," he said.
Lohani said the nearest competitor to Air India boasts of having 100 aircraft, but fly only in 38 destinations in India in contrast to his airliner which has a wider reach.
Air India will be adding more frequencies in the trunk routes by connecting Tier 2 cities with metros, and Tier 3 to Tier 2 cities, which will integrate the entire traffic within the country, Lohani said.
Asked how many aircraft Air India is going to add, he said it had placed order for 30 Airbus A-320s and looking at adding ten more to its fleet in next two years.
"We have already placed 30 Airbus A-320s and looking at ten more aircraft. In all, we should have 30-40 Airbus A-320s in next one or two years," he said.
Asked about the ad dispute with Indigo airlines, Lohani said: "I don't want to react to that. This is a festive environment (AI had inaugurated new office), I would like to speak about good things."
Replying to a query, Lohani said the attrition rate has gone down drastically because of measures taken to work for the welfare of employees.
"Lot of people had left Air India and joined private airlines earlier, but the attrition rate has gone down drastically because we are taking care of our staff. It has been a transformation of their morale. It is so high at this point of time," he said.
