Jet Airways to start Toronto-New Delhi flights

27 August, 2007:

Jet Airways plans to launch Toronto-New Delhi flights from September 5, 2007.

Jet Airways, which CEO Naresh Goyal created after India's government opened the airline sector to private competition, currently flies to as many as 44 destinations in the country. And now, Jet Airways will add Toronto to its route map, the airlines' ninth overseas destination.

In May 2007, Air Canada had cancelled its Toronto-New Delhi service, through Zurich, much to the chagrin of the Canada-India Business Council. With the upcoming entry into Canada, Goyal hopes to persuade travel agents, entrepreneurs, leisure passengers, and other invited guests that Jet Airways is the best way to fly between Canada and India.

The airline aims to build a strong route network, offer competitive fares and flawless service. According to Naresh Goyal, Jet Airways' service cannot be in any way inferior to Cathay Pacific's and Singapore Airlines' service. Foreseeing that 60 per cent of Jet's business on the new route will originate in Canada and 40 per cent in India, Jet Airways will offer flights five times a week from Toronto to New Delhi aboard an Airbus A330-200, with a stopover in Brussels. Jet Airways has plans to launch a daily service from December 2007 onwards.

Further, Jet Airways plans to provide as many as 30 seats in business class and 190 in economy on the Airbus. Passengers will be able to switch planes in Brussels if they want to go to Mumbai. On the Toronto-New Delhi route in economy class, Jet Airways has introductory round-trip fares as low as $1,074, plus taxes and other charges. According to experts, a family of five saving $20 each on a ticket is a big deal in the Indian travel market.

Meanwhile, there are also reports that Jet Airways is in talks with Air Canada to become strategic partners, initially on Jet's London-Mumbai route.