Air India: Offering connectivity and comfort

Melwin D'silva, Regional Manager, Air India and Air India Express, Gulf, Middle East and Africa tells Khaleej Times about the airline's performance over the last year and future plans

As India's flagship carrier, Air India has been catering to the huge expat Indian population in the region for many years. According to Melwin D'silva, Regional Manager, Air India and Air India Express - Gulf, Middle East and Africa, this region is one of the highest generators for Air India in terms of money as well as the number of passengers carried outside India.
"We have been able to sustain our revenues in the region and have also been able to introduce more sectors out of here to India. The airline's main hub is in Delhi from where it operates non-stop flights to the US, Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia and Japan. In the Gulf region, Air India has nine online stations where Air India and Air India Express together carry out almost 300 flights per week to India," he says.

Republic Day Celebrations For the past four years, Air India is associated with the 'Proud to be Indian' movement, where a television house from South India runs an annual competition for expat children in the UAE. Forty selected candidates receive the chance to experience the Indian Republic Day parade live and meet renowned political leaders. On the occasion of India Republic Day, Melwin D'silva, Regional Manager, Air India and Air India Express - Gulf, Middle East and Africa, says: "I would like to wish each and every Indian a very Happy Republic Day. We are fortunate to have a country, which is so vibrant and encourages freedom to each person living there. I hope that India reaches newer heights and Air India will always be there to take you back home.

Looking at the increase in demand, Air India recently launched the Dubai-Kochi route, which previously used to operate from Sharjah.
"The people of Kochi preferred travelling from Dubai, so we shifted operations and the response has been quite good. The Sharjah-Varanasi route that started about four months back is also doing very well," he adds.
For its summer schedule, Air India Express is looking to start flights from Delhi to Dubai as well as Sharjah to Delhi on a daily basis. There are also plans to start operations from Ras Al Khaimah to Kozhikode, which is likely to fly four times a week, as well as from Al Ain to Kozhikode.
Air India currently operates a young fleet in the Gulf region. D'silva says: "We are operating the Dreamliner 787 on the Delhi-Dubai route. The aircraft has comfortable executive business class seats and offers improved schedule integrity as well as on-time performance."
The airline also operates the new A320s on the Gulf routes. They operate wide bodies such as the Boeing 787 that has a capacity of almost 250 on the Dubai route and operate the Boing 777 ER to Riyadh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which has a capacity of 340. Further, the 747 flies to Jeddah.  
In the service of the nation
Air India, as the national carrier of India is the second line of defence, says D'silva. "When the country needs us, we are there. For example, we played a crucial role in the evacuation of Indian nationals from Yemen. The region falls under my purview and the coordination for the operation was done right here from the Dubai office."
He adds that even though operating in a war zone is tricky business, Air India was able to rescue not only Indians, but also people of 28 other nationalities, bringing the rescue total to almost 6,000 from the war affected region of Yemen.
"We have the satisfaction of not only taking care of people's travel needs, but also being there when India needs us," adds D'silva. 
Steady growth
D'silva highlights that the airline has maintained revenue and passenger carriage over last year despite no increase in capacity by Air India. There has been an increase of almost 29,000 seats from the UAE to India per week on various airlines. This figure itself shows the amount of capacity that has been infused on this route.
"We have been able to perform well, despite it being a tough market here due to a number of challenges such as new players in the market. In spite of this, we have been able to outdo our last year's performance, which in itself is a credit for us," he adds. 
Connecting the world
Connectivity has been the strength of Air India, says D'silva and keeping this in mind, a lot of international destinations were added recently. Air India started flights from Delhi to San Francisco on the Boeing 777, and their fourth flight to London from Ahmedabad.
There is also a focus on strengthening domestic connectivity. "We have started flights from Delhi to cities such as Gorakhpur, Surat, Rajkot, Durgapur, etc. We offer competitive fares so that it is easier for passengers from any part of the Gulf to reach the interior parts of India as well as international routes," stresses D'silva.
Increased competition means always being on your toes, says D'silva. "We have to monitor the situation each day in terms of fares, times, whether we need to re-look at our schedule, announce promotional schemes - all these things have yielded results for us. Air India and Air India Express have to be on the hour, every minute." 
Passenger comfort
Last year, Air India Express announced that passengers could carry 30kgs of luggage for a limited period of time; this offer has now been retained for all their flights. The airline is known to offer promotional fares across a number of destinations. D'silva adds that Air India actively aligns fares as much as required, keeping the competition in mind.
Further, the airline is a Star Alliance Member, extending their reach to almost 27 carriers and expanding their network. It is the only carrier in India to be a part of such a global alliance. The membership is also great for passengers, as it gives them benefits such as lounge access and frequent flyer programmes across the member airlines.
Looking ahead, D'silva says that Air India Express has acquired new aircraft and new destinations in India are on the cards, however, official announcements will be made at a later date.
- supplements@khaleejtimes.com

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