The country?s largest private carrier Jet Airways has decided to launch daily flights on Mumbai-Manila sector by December end. The airline has received the regulatory clearances for the proposed service, a company official said.
Jet has been adding to its presence on short and medium-haul overseas routes like India-Dubai, India-Hong Kong and India-Singapore to improve its cash flow. The company earns nearly 60% of its revenue from international operations.
?Besides Manila, we plan to add flights on the routes where we already have presence,? a senior airline official said.
The bilateral trade between India and the Philippines has not yet registered strong growth in spite of the government?s Look East policy. ?Mumbai-Manila is good choice. There is significant traffic on this route. Philippines is one of the fastest emerging markets,? Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) India head Kapil Kaul said.
Philippine Airlines currently operates six flights a week on the Delhi-Manila sector. While Jet Airways would enhance frequency on other international routes also in the months to come, the airline is working on the idea of merging its two low-fair brands JetLite and Jetconnect to capture a larger share in the domestic market.