Airline majors to fly with BIA

Airline majors to fly with BIA
AMIT S. UPADHYE


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DC | BENGALURUThe BengaluruInternational Airport (BIA) has always been rated as inferior to the airport in Hyderabad. But international airlines seem to think otherwise.
European airline majors are reportedly looking at BIA over the Hyderabad airport as a hot destination for interline pooling between international airlines and domestic ones.

Senior officials at BIA told Deccan Chronicle that European airline majors are in talks with Kingfisher Airlines to connect international flights with domestic destinations using the wide network operated by Kingfisher Airlines. The airline has its base at the Bengaluru airport and operates over 90 flights per day from there.

The move comes after KLM Airlines from Netherlands suspended its operations from Hyderabad and plans to get a slot at BIA which handles about 320 movements and 15,000 passengers per day.

“Unlike Mumbai and Bengaluru airports where Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines have their base respectively, no airlines has its base at Hyderabad airport. More and more airline operators now prefer to enter India through Bengaluru as compared Hyderabad or any other international airport in the country expect New Delhi,’’ the officials said.

If the talks between Kingfisher and KLM succeed, it will open a new world of opportunities in the travel and tourism sector and will also boost the hospitality and business sector. More number of international flights can be routed to several domestic destinations through Bengaluru.

The deal will also improve prospects for Kingfisher Airlines. “If Kingfisher enters into an agreement with KLM to operate from Amsterdam, Kingfisher passengers will have a choice of over 400 destinations on the KLM network,’’ the officials said.

“Though interline pooling is not new to India and the international airport in Bengaluru, this move is far bigger and larger in terms of destinations. The interline pooling that exists at Delhi airport offers few destinations when compared to Kingfisher which has over 90 aircraft flying from Bengaluru everyday,’’ said an aviation expert.