MUSCAT: Jet Airways, India’s premier, full service international airline, completes ten years of operations to the Gulf region. The airline connects ten destinations in the Gulf with nine metros and emerging cities in India. The first Jet Airways flight 9W 592 landed in Bahrain in 2008, marking an important milestone for the airline, as it was the first privately-owned Indian carrier to provide direct air connectivity between the Gulf region and India.
Over time, the airline expanded services to include Abu Dhabi, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait, Muscat, Riyadh and Sharjah to its Gulf network. In the course of completing a decade of successful operations, Jet Airways has flown nearly 200,000 flights, carrying over 25 million guests between India and the Gulf region. Today, the airline operates over 600 weekly flights on 33 unique routes between India and the Gulf.
Shakir Kantawala, VP Gulf, Middle East & Africa, Jet Airways, said, “We are delighted at having completed a decade of successful operations in the Gulf which have played a significant role not only in growing our business but also in the realisation of the airline’s vision of connecting India with the World. We are the preferred carrier on the Indo-Gulf sector and remain committed towards maintaining that position. We take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to all the regional Gulf governments as well their national Civil Aviation authorities for constant guidance and encouragement. We also thank all our patrons — the vast multitude of expatriate Indians who travel us while visiting families and friends, as well as the travel trade community, for their unstinted support that has stood us in good stead.”
He also added, “We would like to reiterate our commitment to providing guests from the Gulf region an exceptional flying experience, characterised by convenience, seamless connections to India and the World, and Jet Airways’ trademark spirit of Indian hospitality. Our operations in the Gulf provide a unique gateway for connecting to not just 44 destinations in India but also onwards to Bangkok, Colombo, Dhaka, Hong Kong, Kathmandu, and Singapore in the East and the Far East”.
With the Gulf accounting for over nearly 50 per cent of the originating air traffic to/from India, the region represents a huge market in terms of passengers. Along with its strategic partner - Etihad Airways, Jet Airways is the most preferred carrier on the Indo-Gulf sector. Additionally, with growing economic ties between India and countries in the Gulf, Jet Airways is expanding its cargo operations on this sector, in tandem.
The airline offers over 1,700 tonnes of weekly cargo capacity on the India–Gulf–India route, using a mix of B-737 and Airbus A330 services. Commodity mix from India to Gulf includes perishables like fruits, vegetables, meat, and consignments like courier, garments, fabrics, pharmaceuticals. Valuable comprising of jewelry, as also leather and leather products are uplifted as cargo capacity on the India–Gulf routes.
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