Airlines offer code-share, lollies to get hold of the Indian passenger
PARIS: Indian airline companies are blinking bright on the radar of European carriers.
British Airways, UK’s biggest airline, was reported to be in talks with Go Air, the Nusli Wadia-owned low-cost carrier, in early September for a brand and code-share agreement.
Now, its rival across the channel, Air France, has expressed interest in a tie-up with Jet Airways or Kingfisher Airlines, both of which have started to fly abroad.
Jean-Louis Pinson, senior vice president, Air France, said his airline would be interested in an agreement with Jet and Kingfisher, but also added that the agreement would be a “partnership” and not just a franchise, unlike BA’s model.
“We are discussing with both, but we are not in a hurry. We will have (an agreement) with either Kingfisher or Jet Airways,” he told DNA Money.
Indian airlines are in demand as a new affluent population in the country makes it an exciting potential market for European airlines struggling to expand in saturated home markets.
Both Jet Airways and Kingfisher are also being wooed to join global airline alliances, which will give foreign airlines within the alliance, freedom to ride of domestic networks.
Air France, for example, has daily flights from Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore to its hub in Paris, connecting Indian customers to Europe and the Americas.
An alliance with either Kingfisher or Jet will help the airline bring smaller cities into their catchment area.
There are three major air alliances in the world — Star Alliance, led by Germany’s Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines, One Word, led by British Airways and Sky Team, led by Air France-KLM. As DNA Money had reported earlier, Kingfisher Airlines is in talks with Skyteam. The third international carrier, Air India is set to become a part of Star Alliance.
Pinson said that Calcutta, Pune and Ahmadabad feature in the airline’s long term plans for India. Air France also has three daily flights from Chennai, while its other half, KLM operates flights from Hyderabad.
“India is growing fast and we are conscious that we will have more and more customers. Number of Indian customers will grow and we need to develop better loyalty in India,” Pinson said.
As part of its effort to woo Indian customers, the French carrier had kicked-off an India-focussed campaign in 2007. Efforts are also on to recruit more Indian cabin crew, in order to connect better with Indian customers, officials said.
This reporter was in Paris on a trip sponsored by Air France.
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