Indian Airlines in the Arab World
In the Arab World, Indian Airlines operates as many as 105 flights per week, to and from the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain.
Indian Airlines in the UAE
In the UAE, Indian Airlines registers its presence in Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Ajman and Sharjah through its booking offices.
The company operates 42 flights per week between Dubai and Delhi, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai and Calicut, and 37 flights per week between Sharjah and 14 Indian cities - Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Calicut, Cochin,Trivandrum, Goa, Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Tiruchirapalli.
In addition Indian Airlines also links Fujairah to Chennai,Tiruchirapalli, Calicut and Kuwait; and Ras Al Khaimah to Chennai,Tiruchirapalli, Calicut and Kuwait.
Indian Airlines in Kuwait
Indian Airlines connects Kuwait with Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai,Tiruchirapalli, Kochi, Goa, Trivandrum and Calicut in India; and
Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Sharjah in the UAE.
Indian Airlines in Other Arab Countries Indian Airlines also connects Bahrain with Doha in Qatar and with Bangalore, Calicut and Kochi in India.The company also connects Doha with Calicut and Kochi. Muscat, in Oman is connected with Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Calicut and Kochi.
Company Background
Indian Airlines, now renamed 'Indian', is fully owned by the Government of India.With a market share of around 30 per cent in the domestic market (FY 2005-06) and around 11 per cent in the international air market to/from India (CY 2005), Indian Airlines is the second largest airline of India.
It commenced its operations in August 1953, with the enactment of the Air Corporations Act, 1953.
As per the Act, Indian Airlines was formed with the merger of eight domestic airlines to provide efficient, safe and economic air transport services on the domestic front.
Indian Airlines, with its current fleet of 74 aircraft, has its passenger flights connecting 73 destinations across the globe - 55 within India and 18 overseas - which span Kuwait, Oman, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain in West Asia;Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar in South East Asia; and Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives in the South Asian sub-continent. Besides providing passenger services, the company also provides cargo services across its entire network.
Its cargo services, with a network capacity of nearly 1000 tonnes per day, include domestic and
international cargo movement and providing door- to-door and on-board courier services.
Indian Airlines generated revenue of nearly US$ 1.35 billion in the year 2005-06, recording a net profit of US$ 15.2 million.
INDIAN AIRLINES LIMITED
29
metros, arriving in the evening hours into the metros.
Dubai - Attracting Indian Tourists
In the Middle East, Dubai has attracted maximum tourists from across the globe, both for business and for leisure. It is one of the most preferred tourist destinations of the world.With its big malls, shopping centres and free zones, it has come to be known as a shopper's paradise. People are
attracted by its cosmopolitan life style and natural beauty. Air traffic between India and Dubai has been on the rise in the recent years. As recorded by Dubai Tourism, the city attracted 360,000 Indian tourists in 2005.
Good Economic Growth in India
A high rate of Indian GDP growth, increasing disposable incomes, a change in lifestyles, an increased propensity for international
travel/holidays as well as a resurgence of India as a tourist destination have led to a growth in the overall international travel to/from India, benefiting all international airlines operating to/from India.
Future Plans
Induction of New Fleet
Indian Airlines has recently placed an order for 43 new aircraft of the A319/A320/A321 class.
The first of these aircraft has already joined the Indian Airlines fleet in October 2006, and further deliveries are slated from mid-2007 onwards.
The remaining 42 new aircraft will be equipped with latest in-flight entertainment systems, with individual in-seat video monitors for each passenger in both economy and business class.
Increasing Presence in the Gulf
Indian Airlines has achieved around 19 per cent growth in carriage and a 33 per cent growth in revenue on its India-Gulf flights in FY 05-06 over FY 04-05. It has recently increased flights to/from
Factors for Success
Direct Operations from Interior Points in India
Indian Airlines pioneered the operation of direct flights from non-metro interior airports to points in the Gulf region, giving the Indian expatriate population in the Gulf the benefit of convenient flights direct to airports close to their hometowns.
Starting with 2 flights per week from Calicut to Sharjah in 1992, Indian Airlines today offers the widest yet in-depth connectivity of 112 flights per week between 15 cities in India and 8 cities in the Gulf.
Convenient Schedules
Indian Airlines' USP on the India-Gulf routes is its convenient schedules, which are tailored to suit the specific requirements of the Indian expatriates travel to India and back. Besides operating directly to many interior points in India, Indian Airlines' flight timings are designed to suit the overall travel requirement of the Indians resident in the Gulf countries to/from their final destination in India.
Flights from the Gulf depart at night-time, so that persons boarding from points in the Gulf are able to utilise the whole working day there and also arrive in India in the morning/daytime hours, such that they are able to commute conveniently to their hometowns from the airports. In the return direction, Indian Airlines' flights typically depart from India in the late afternoon hours, giving the passengers enough time in the day to reach the airport of their choice, and arrive in the Gulf in the night time to be able to start work the next day. It is relevant to mention that the majority of travellers from the hinterland are NRIs working in the Gulf. From the metros, Indian Airlines typically operates flights during the night hours, at timings which are convenient to both leisure as well as business travellers. For NRIs working in the Gulf, convenient flight connections are available into the 30
the UAE, having commenced operation of a second daily flight on the Delhi-Dubai route. It plans to further increase its operations on the India-Gulf routes, to all the destinations that it operates to. Indian Airlines is also keen to commence operations to more destinations/countries in the Gulf region, such as Abu Dhabi in the UAE and Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia, subject to Government approvals for the same.
31
