Air India plans to increase its flights to the North-East to around 1,000 a week in three years from the current level of around 65.
"We want to accord special focus to the North-East region, as part of our programme to provide better connectivity to tier-II towns in a manner which is affordable," Mr Arvind Jadhav, Chairman and Managing Director, said at the 25th annual convention of the Indian Association of Tour Operators in Bangalore.
INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS
As part of its strategy for the North-East, the carrier wants to widen the intra-connectivity in the region and also launch international flights from Guwahati.
"We are looking at it from a subsidy point of view, not from a commercial model of view," said Mr Jadhav.
The airline expects a load factor of 70 per cent on these flights, and "more than 2,000 passengers a day", he added.
But the airline needs to sign an agreement with the Ministry of Development of North-East for subsidies, he said.
According to him, the demand for this region is also more towards 20-seater aircraft, which AI does not have in its fleet now. As part of the mainstreaming plans, he said, "We want to ensure same-day return to North-East from the rest of the country, and also same-day return to other parts."
Intra-connect cities
Besides, he stressed on the need to intra-connect all cities in that region, which would require Air India to "shift the aircraft base to Guwahati and Agartala." There are also plans to introduce an international flight to Bangkok from Guwahati.
Mr Jadhav said the national carrier, which is facing turbulent times now, wants to reinvent itself and ensure that it reaches to people in a better way.
"For that we have created a focal point to handle marketing and sales. The focal point would provide a face to marketing," he added. He also said that Air India has neglected the southern region for long, and hoped to "make Air India relevant to this part of the country."
|
|
