By IANS
New Delhi : Jet Airways has become the first Indian private carrier to receive the government’s clearance to fly to the Gulf from Jan 1, 2008.
The airline had applied for the rights to fly to Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, of which the last two destinations are still under the government’s consideration, an official statement said Friday.
The total entitlement for Indian carriers on the Gulf routes is 85,481 seats per week and the utilisation by Indian carriers is 49,348 seats, according to the statement.
Naresh Goyal-promoted Jet Airways, which acquired Air Sahara earlier this year and renamed it JetLite, has an investment plan of $3.7 billion for expansion, which includes the Gulf segment.
Earlier this month, the airline started its service to Toronto via its European hub in Brussels. It also plans to launch services between Mumbai and Johannesburg by November this year.
Till date, only state-run Air India was permitted to operate on these routes.