Gulf Air to link more cities in India

With air services talks between India and Gulf countries slated for review shortly, premier middle-eastern carrier Gulf Air plans to add new destinations of Hyderabad and Ahmedabad and expand commercial ties with Indian airlines. "We are looking at the possibility of increasing frequencies on existing routes and start services from secondary destinations like Hyderabad and Ahmedabad," Richard Hirsch, the airline's Regional General Manager for the Indian sub-continent, told PTI. Asked how many flights was the Gulf carrier considering to operate from these two cities, he said the best schedule should be daily services, but at least thrice a week could be considered for commercial reasons.

Gulf Air, a full-service carrier which started its Indian operations in 1971, connects seven Indian destinations, including Delhi and Mumbai, to Bahrain and Muscat. The bilateral air services agreement with India and these countries is likely to be reviewed in April-May. He said there was enough room on this sector for both full-service and no-frill carriers to operate as there were over 4.2 million Indians living in the Gulf region, besides tourist traffic from India. Asked how would it face heightened competition on the India-Gulf sector if the Indian government allowed private carriers to operate, Hirsch said while competition was welcome, "we may be looking at expanding the commercial relationships we already have with some Indian carriers".

Courtesy: PTI

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