Jet Airways set to spread its wings
India-based Jet Airways is to expand its network into Thailand by introducing a total of 14 flights a week on the Bangkok-New Delhi and Bangkok-Calcutta routes, starting January 23.
Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal said Thailand was the 50th destination on its network and the third in Asean, following Singapore and Malaysia. The airline will operate Boeing 737-800s on the new routes. However, next year, it intends to upgrade the aircraft on the Bangkok-New Delhi route to Airbus A330s. Goyal said the routes were being introduced because economic and tourism ties between India and Thailand were strengthening. Jet Airways already has permission to operate a service between India and the United States, and plans to operate a daily flight between Bombay and Newark via Brussels from August. With the expansion of its network, the airline is to add eight Boeing B777 ER aircraft and five Airbus A330-200s to its fleet this year. It has also ordered 10 Boeing B787 Dreamliners. "I have an ambitious goal for the airline to be one of the world's top-five carriers," Goyal said. Jet Airways said ticket prices would be competitive with those of other operators in the region, including Thai Airways.
Suchat Sritama The Nation
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