By EuAsiaNews,
Brussels : It’s nine months since Jet Airways launched its Brussels hub. Starting with one flight from India to North America via Brussels in August 2007, it built up to 2 flights a day in September and then 3 daily flights in November from Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai to the US and Canada.
Raja Segran, Vice-President of Jet Airways for Europe and North America, in an exclusive interview with EuAsiaNews explains how the airline was faring now and its future plans.
Jet Airways has seen a growth of 10-15% with passengers travelling not just between Brussels and India but between Brussels and North America as well.
“There is a greater awareness of Jet Airways now and it has been a challenge to build up this awareness of it as an Indian carrier standing for quality service, comparable with the best in the world,” he said.
Setting up Brussels as its European hub has been a step in the right direction because Jet Airways now caters to four markets, according to Segran.
“When you talk about Brussels, it is not just traffic from Belgium. We have a strong partnership with SN Brussels airline and through court sharing with them we bring in passengers from Spain, Italy, France and Germany.”
Segran lists India, North America, Belgium and the rest of Europe as his markets.
“The advantage of Brussels as a hub is it has a very convenient airport. It is also fairly efficient and not congested, unlike Heathrow, or even Frankfurt or Charles de Gaulle.”
When given a choice, a lot of people prefer Brussels as a port of entry or exit, he thinks.
Malaysian-born Singaporean citizen of South Indian origin, Raja Segran, brings his keen insight from 26 years of experience with Singapore airlines before joining Jet Airways to the table.
Asked about the recent ‘open skies’ agreement between Europe and the US and how it might affect Jet Airways flights to North America via Brussels , Segran responded with candour.
“It’s a good development because opening skies and liberalizing of services is always good for the economy. It drives competition and results in benefits for the consumer. It also increases the efficiency of the providers.”
Jet Airways is not overly concerned about the agreement affecting its business because, as Segran points out, there are only 2 flights operated by Jet Airways at the moment to the US. Their share is therefore relatively small.
“And even if low cost carriers begin to operate, we are not too concerned. We think it is good for the business.”
The use of mobile phones during flights is viewed with some skepticism by Segran.
“It is indeed being introduced by some airlines and we are monitoring developments carefully.” But safety requirements and passenger comfort have to be taken into account too, Segran told EuAsiaNews sitting in his modest office in Diegem , adjacent to the Zaventem airport of Brussels.
With rising fuel costs and the inevitable rise in airfares what is the edge Jet Airways has over its competitors?
” The fuel price increase is bad news but it affects other airlines as well. The advantage we have is that we have a very young fleet of aircrafts with fuel efficiency. We think we offer good value for money because we have a great product – modern fleets and very good in-flight service,” he responds.
The upgrading of flight technology and fuel efficiency as well as diesel driven motors on the ground is Jet Aways’ way of saying it is committed to environmental issues.
“One of the truths we need to face is that airlines contribute only a small percentage to the carbon footprint in the overall scheme of things. People pick on airlines because it is a soft target.”
But as responsible players in business, Jet Airways is committed to doing its bit for the environment, says Segran.
Will there be more flights via Brussels from India in the future?
“It is no secret that fuel prices are on the rise. So we are consolidating what we have now. The priority is to stabilize the operation, consolidate and build it up. We are more cautious towards extension plans now than we were 9 or 12 months ago,” replied Segran.