Jet Airways beefs up capacity on S'pore-Mumbai route with A330
Move will also enable it to cater to premium traffic, carry more connecting passengers from Australia via Singapore
Nisha Ramchandani
Singapore
INDIA'S Jet Airways is boosting capacity between Singapore and Mumbai by upgauging to a widebody Airbus A330-200 aircraft, which will also enable it to cater to premium traffic and carry more connecting traffic from Australia (via Singapore).
Previously, India's second-biggest carrier operated daily flights between the two cities using narrowbody Boeing 737 planes. The switch to the 254-seater A330, which has a two-cabin configuration, boosts seat capacity on the high-demand route.
A first A330 has been deployed on the route and a second upgrade - swopping out another Boeing 737 - will take place in August this year. This will boost capacity by 38 per cent year on year and should stimulate demand from tourists, the airline said.
"This sector has seen a growth in traffic by over 34 per cent in the last two years, particularly among business travellers," said Colin Neubronner, senior vice-president (marketing and sales), for Jet Airways. "Additionally connecting traffic from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth to India over Singapore - through code share and interline partners - is also growing rapidly."
Jet Airways is also looking to introduce next year a flight to Bangalore in south India, using a 168-seater B737-800, which will be operated daily. It is also studying other new points to launch direct services between India and Singapore.
This comes after the airline recently deployed an A330 on the Singapore-Delhi route, to capitalise on the increasing traffic between the two countries.
Foreign direct investment from Singapore into India last year totalled US$11 billion, across sectors such as information technology, real estate, construction, renewable energy and pharmaceuticals.
The carrier recently reported its best financial results in the past 23 years, chalking up a full-year profit of US$185 million in FY2016 versus a loss of US$342 million previously. The improved performance came on the back of cost-reductions and better utilisation of aircraft, which rose 10.7 per cent.
Jet Airways - which counts Abu Dhabi's Etihad as a shareholder - has a fleet of 116 aircraft, comprising Boeing 737s and 777-300ERs, Airbus A330s and ATR 72-500/600s.
