India's Jet Airways has started flights to the UAE, with the launch of two daily flights from Abu Dhabi to New Delhi and Mumbai.
Earlier this year, Jet became the first private carrier from India to break the monopoly of the state-run carriers like Air India on the lucrative Gulf sector.
However, the Indian government has not allowed the private carrier to operate flights from Dubai to India. The new routes increase the number of the carrier's international destinations to sixteen, while additional routes from Abu Dhabi will be considered in the winter of 2008 and the summer of 2009.
The airline is offering introductory prices (one-way) of $ 122 and $ 136 respectively, with many connecting flights to cities within India costing around $ 68 extra.
"We will have to experiment with the new routes before deciding on expansion, but the 70 per cent annual capacity for flights to and from the UAE is attractive enough," Fareed Al Alawi, Jet Airways vice-president for Gulf and MEA, said.
The increase in services on two key routes between India and Abu Dhabi is expected to attract immediate interest from travelers in both countries.
"We are happy that Abu Dhabi has been selected by Jet Airways as its first destination into the UAE, and we are certain that these services will benefit both UAE and Indian businesses, expatriate residents and tourists alike," said Mohammad Al Bulooki, director of marketing and communications at Abu Dhabi Airports Company.
{{/usCountry}}"We are happy that Abu Dhabi has been selected by Jet Airways as its first destination into the UAE, and we are certain that these services will benefit both UAE and Indian businesses, expatriate residents and tourists alike," said Mohammad Al Bulooki, director of marketing and communications at Abu Dhabi Airports Company.
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