International carriers, in an initiative to boost their revenues, have come up with attractive offers to woo Indian travellers and also tide over the bad times persisting in the sector.

Carriers like London-based British Airways (BA), SriLankan Airlines and Singapore Airlines (SIA) have announced attractive fare schemes to spike up their load factors and extend them beyond the usual time limits.

Industry observers say international carriers have opted for aggressive pricing currently because March-May season, which is considered the busiest season for corporate and leisure travel, did not materialise this year due to slowdown in travel as a fallout of the global financial meltdown.

There are various reasons for international carriers looking at India at a time when global air travel has dipped by 5.6% according IATA (International Air transport Association) since January 2009. First, India is still a promising destination for international carriers since Indian arrivals in their countries has not dipped drastically compared to other tourists from other countries, despite a downturn. Second, attractive fares help airlines to improve their yields per passenger.

Meanwhile, BA has announced 50% off for its first and business class. The fare is available from May 22 to May 25 on flights from five cities in India?New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Says Judy Jarvis, regional commercial manager for South Asia at BA, ?With this amazing offer, we are confident of providing our discerning Indian customers a superb flying experience with unparalleled luxury and impeccable service on board our flights.?

First class fares start at Rs 83,000 and Rs 85,500 and Rs 135,500 respectively to London, Europe and US. Business class fares start at Rs 44,500, Rs 47,000 and Rs 65,000 respectively to London, Europe and US. The tickets are valid for a year but the outbound travel should take place between June 01 and September 30, 2009.

Sri Lankan Airlines, in its turn, is offering a trip to Colombo for Rs 12,635, Rs 11,580 in the case of Bangkok, Rs 14,740 for Singapore/ Kuala Lumpur, going up to Rs 16,845 for the Maldives and Rs 17,895 for Hong Kong. Sri Lankan Holidays, meanwhile, has also designed special packages for the two-week ICC World Twenty20 tournament beginning June 5. The three-night package ( one person) in London is Rs 25,600 from Bangalore , Rs 29,600 from Chennai and Rs 31,600 from Mumbai. The offer is valid from June 1 to June 20 which includes return economy airfare, hotel accommodation (with bed and breakfast) on a twin-sharing basis.

SIA is also offering a return ticket, inclusive of taxes, to Singapore at Rs 11,000. In the case of China , SIA?s offer is Rs 22,000, for Perth Rs 25,000 and Rs 36,000 to the rest of its destinations Rs 36,000. These promotional fares will be available from all the seven SIA gateways: New Delhi , Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore , Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. Bookings for the ?Exceptional Value Deals? are open from May 25 till May 29 for Singapore and till June 12 for the US, China and Australia routes. The travel validity for all destinations is till September 30.