B747-437B From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Posted (9 years 2 months 13 hours ago) and read 2701 times:
Air India will launch service to Salalah (SLL) in Oman effective from 1 April 2004.
Services will operate once weekly from Kozhikode (CCJ) via Al-Ain (AAN) in the UAE using Airbus 310-300 aircraft. These flights will be in addition to the already existing 23 weekly services to Muscat from Mumbai (BOM), Delhi (DEL), Kochi (COK) and Kozhikode (CCJ). There will be no fifth freedom rights available on the intra-Arabian sector.
Schedules will be as follows :
AI 901/902 (ops. Thu)
CCJ d 0935 AAN a 1130 d 1230 SLL a 1405 d 1505 CCJ a 2040
Salalah becomes Air India's 26th international destination, in addition to 12 international gateways in India. This service will be the first nonstop flights from Salalah to the Indian Subcontinent.
Air India is the flag carrier of India and operates a fleet consisting of 14 Boeing 747s and 18 Airbus 310s. The airline services 38 destinations in 19 countries on 4 continents with its own aircraft and codeshares to 11 additional destinations.
Planemannyc From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 989 posts, RR: 9 Reply 1, posted (9 years 2 months 13 hours ago) and read 2621 times:
Great news, B747-437B. I always wondered why India-Galilee was not served. Salalah being the second largest city in Oman has a fairly large market. I guess it's prominence declined along with the deflation of Oman Air. It would be nice to see AI increase frequency and add other Indian destinations from Salalah.
Indianguy From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 3, posted (9 years 2 months 5 hours ago) and read 2339 times:
Once weekly? Just how profitable is it to launch a new station for just one flight a week? I assume that most services might be outsourced to reduce costs (even that is doubtful though considering its AI!), but even then it must be expensive!
B747-437B From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 4, posted (9 years 2 months 5 hours ago) and read 2313 times:
Just how profitable is it to launch a new station for just one flight a week?
The once weekly deal is just a start. They will expand as demand picks up. The flights were only just loaded for sale this past week giving barely 15-20 day lead times.
Regarding the costs of running the station, those are pretty much directly scalable for a contracted operation. There are no crew layover costs (crew operate turnaround CCJ-AAN-SLL-CCJ), no personnel costs and no facility costs. I presume one AI manager from MCT will fly in on WY to represent the airline at SLL airport each week, much like AUH sends a manager to cover AAN flights.
Also, lets not lose track of the fact that AI does already serve MCT in Oman with 23 weekly flights!!!
Behramjee From Canada, joined Aug 2003, 4439 posts, RR: 43 Reply 5, posted (9 years 2 months 5 hours ago) and read 2306 times:
Once or twice a week flights to these "Labor traffic" destinations are more than enough as its not a very popular in demand route like DXB-AUH-MUS etc are.
SALALAH is not a high yielding route which demands extra weekly flights like the other ones mentioned above are!!!
Zizou From Australia, joined Oct 2000, 1527 posts, RR: 5 Reply 6, posted (9 years 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 2153 times:
Is there any chance that Air India will ever resume services to Sharjah? I remember in the early 90s (when I was last in the UAE), I would see a AI A300B4 at Sharjah on its way to Delhi.
Airmale From Botswana, joined Sep 2004, 368 posts, RR: 2 Reply 7, posted (9 years 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 2006 times:
Read by nearly 700 people, I can bet the reader count would not have gone beyond 60 had you mentioned Salalah as being the destination in the topic header, my post on Kuwait Airways to Salalah last year got 14 hits max, honestly speaking I was thinking Los Angeles was coming online
BA From United States of America, joined May 2000, 11135 posts, RR: 61 Reply 8, posted (9 years 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 17 hours ago) and read 1975 times:
Salalah should be a very good market. It is a major resort destination along the coast with many luxurious resorts. As a result of the resorts, there is a lot of employment there, so I am sure Air India will do fine.
I think they will probably eventually increase frequency.
Good luck to them!
Regards
"Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need." - Khalil Gibran
Mrniji From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 9, posted (9 years 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 1931 times:
Is there any chance that Air India will ever resume services to Sharjah?
As far as I know not... AI and IC are trying to synergize their operations to the gulf, since they had rather been competitors although both are state owned. Sharjah seems to have fallen to IC, a they serve Sharjah regularly (from DEL?). But maybe someone knows more details on this.
Generally good news! I read this already on the AI webpage two weeks ago, but now it seems to be very official! Everyone is waiting for a similar announcement to LAX now! Maybe they can be able to carry some 6th pax traffic to SE Asia as well. Glad to see AI is expanding.
OT: OK guys, as you might have seen in my signature, I am off tomorrow for a month field research in rural India (and see the 2nd test in LHE!). catching the nice 743 of AI. No idea how often I will visit the internet, but latest I will be back in a month... I really enjoyed so far in my short membership chatting with you! See you very latest in a month (hopefully with good news AI LAX!) Bye and do it well...!
BA From United States of America, joined May 2000, 11135 posts, RR: 61 Reply 10, posted (9 years 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 1879 times:
Sharjah is only a 15 minute drive from Dubai. There is no need for them to serve both.
Regards
"Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need." - Khalil Gibran
David_itl From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2001, 7144 posts, RR: 14 Reply 12, posted (9 years 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 1828 times:
When is the outcome of the UK/India bilateral negotiations? bmi have again stated that they are expecting "news" (possibly by June/Jul) on them doing MAN-India from this winter.
B747-437B From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 13, posted (9 years 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 1795 times:
When is the outcome of the UK/India bilateral negotiations?
Nothing essentially.... yet.
Air India managed to get one extra afternoon slot at Heathrow on Sundays which will be used with the old Friday afternoon slots to start twice weekly Ahmedabad - London non-stops.
India will not release more frequencies to the British carriers until Air India is able to utilize the full 17 frequencies allocated by the bilateral. Now that off-peak slots at Heathrow are being "found" to accomodate AI though, expect to see some resolution within the next year or so.
Mrniji From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 14, posted (9 years 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 1725 times:
Now that off-peak slots at Heathrow are being "found" to accomodate AI though, expect to see some resolution within the next year or so.
I am a little more sceptical. This issue seems rather stuck. Why should India grant British carriers more access to their fast growing market when British Authorities can't even grant AI their allocated rights (the promised high-peak slots)?
Would AI try to codeshare with BD on MAN or are they seizing to start MAN sometime soon, maybe like in the past via FCO, or maybe GVA (AMS)?
David_itl From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2001, 7144 posts, RR: 14 Reply 15, posted (9 years 1 month 4 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 1690 times:
I would imagine any drawbacks for the negotiations will from Britain may based upon why AI is insisting on LHR slots when they had operated to MAN previously (not that I would welcome them back with open arms, given what they stated in 1999 and what they did a couple of months later). If they do come back to MAN (or BHX), they should drop the one-stop strategy as most of the prosperous long-haul routes for MAN are non-stop.
Air India's much hyped inaugural non-stop flight from Ahmedabad to London Heathrow scheduled for Friday has been hit with a scandal that is being investigated by the Election Commission.
The flight was already oversold with revenue passengers when the Civil Aviation Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy ordered Air India to displace more paid passengers in order to accomodate 29 journalists and dignitaries invited by his political ally, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. An earlier request for free passes by Modi had been turned down by Air India management, but they were forced to reconsider that decision once orders came from the Civil Aviation Ministry.
An Air India spokesperson confirmed the incident and that Air India would be providing free transport to the political invitees, as well as paying relevant compensation to confirmed revenue passengers who would be denied boarding to accomodate them.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has sought a report from the Civil Aviation Ministry by Friday on this issue. The Commission said the issue of such free passes amounted to contravention of the provisions of the Code of Conduct for the upcoming elections and has given the Ministry till Friday at 5pm to answer these charges.
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