By DPA
Singapore : Indian private carrier Jet Airways is seeking a hub for its Southeast Asian and North Asian operations out of Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore, its executive vice-president said in a published report Tuesday.
The decision will hinge on where the airline finds a suitable code-share and feed partner, said Sudheer Raghavan.
Code sharing refers to a practice where a flight operated by an airline is jointly marketed as a flight for one or more other airlines.
“We currently have 10 international routes and 44 domestic destinations in India,” he told The Business Times. In the months ahead, “we are embarking on an aggressive international route roll-out”.
Jet Airways, with 10 international routes, plans to boost international destinations to 15 by January 2008, 17 by February and 19 by April.
“We are looking for a strong partner for code-share,” Raghavan told the newspaper.
The airline is seeking an arrangement similar to one it has at its European hub in Brussels, where it partners Brussels Airlines for European and North American connections.
Launched 14 years ago, Jet Airways is a publicly listed company and one of Asia’s fastest-growing airlines.
Partnership is the best way forward in the current aviation industry, which is facing a serious shortage of pilots and planes, Raghavan said.