Airlines boost routes, flights to fight bad times

Airlines are flying extra miles to make up for the losses incurred last year and a sharp drop in passenger traffic in the last two quarters. Lalatendu Mishra reports.

Airlines are flying extra miles to make up for the losses incurred last year and a sharp drop in passenger traffic in the last two quarters.

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The Jet Airways-JetLite combine and Kingfisher Airlines have added over two dozen new flights to their existing network despite reducing the fleet size since early 2009.

These airlines have expanded their networks in putting the existing resources—aircraft and manpower— to maximum use so as to earn that extra buck that would further improve the revenue collections without making any further investment.

Jet has started three new routes while Kingfisher has started five. “We have reworked our schedule to ensure that our aircraft fly for more hours than before,” said Raj Sivakumar, vice-president (revenue management), Jet Airways.

“We are making best use of the existing resources and have expanded the network despite returning eight aircraft from our fleet,” Vijay Mallya, chairman and CEO, Kingfisher Airlines recently told HT.