Jet Airways makes Amsterdam new European gateway; announces flights from March

Mumbai: Private carrier Jet Airways has said that Amsterdam will serve as the new hub for its international operations to Europe and onwards even as it announced the launch of direct flight services to the Dutch capital from March next year. As of now, the Belgian capital of Brussels serves as its European gateway.[caption id=“attachment_1020277” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  New European hub for Jet Airways. Reuters[/caption] Jet Airways also said that it has entered into a strategic agreement with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Delta Air Lines for providing seamless air connectivity to its passengers flying to key destinations across Europe and North America over Amsterdam. With effect from 27 March 2016, Jet Airways will operate two daily non-stop flights to Amsterdam – its new uropean gateway – from New Delhi and Mumbai, the airline said in a release. The airline will operate one flight each from its domestic hubs – Mumbai and New Delhi – to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, the release said adding that Jet Airways will also operate a daily flight from Toronto to Amsterdam. These new flights will be operated with a 293-seater wide-body Airbus A330-300 aircraft in two-class configurations. The business class on the aircraft would have 34 seats while the remaining 259 seats would be in the economy class. The schedules of all three flights have been planned in such a way as would allow quick and convenient connections between India and Toronto over Amsterdam, the release said. Tickets on these flights will be available across all booking channels from 15 December, Jet Airways said. “We are delighted to announce the launch of new services to Amsterdam. This is a significant step for Jet Airways. Jet Airways’ two daily flights from India to Amsterdam will facilitate further growth in business and tourism between India and the Netherlands,” Jet Airways chief executive officer Cramer Ball said in the release. Under strategic pacts with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Delta Air Lines, which are subjected to government and regulatory approvals, Jet Airways will codeshare to 30 European destinations for travel between India and Europe via Amsterdam, the release said. The code-share destinations include Brussels, Berlin, Copenhagen, Munich, Madrid, Geneva and Vienna, which are operated by KLM. Besides, Jet Airways will also codeshare with KLM and Delta on 11 destinations between India and the United States and Canada, including New York JFK, Newark, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Montreal, the release said. Code-sharing of flights allows an airline to book passengers on its partner carriers and provide seamless transport to multiple destinations where it has no presence. Jet Airways said that its passengers from India will also be able to access the greater networks of Delta and KLM on an interline basis with convenient connections to over 70 destinations across North America and Europe. Guests travelling from over 50 European cities will connect to the entire Jet Airways network across India, SAARC and the ASEAN region via Amsterdam, the airline said, adding that Jet Airways guests from Toronto will have access to 30 select European destinations via Amsterdam. “With Amsterdam Airport Schiphol as the new European gateway, we will be able to provide our guests with one-stop access to a wider array of destinations across Europe and North America together with our partners KLM and Delta,” Ball said. The tie-up will strengthen KLM presence in the Indian domestic region and the neighbourhood, KLM President and Chief executive Officer Pieter Elbers said. “This strategic step will deliver significant benefits to our respective businesses and provide KLM customers with exclusive travel opportunities and additional interesting new destinations,” he said. Delta’s Senior Vice President for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Nat Pieper, said on his airline’s strategic partnership with Jet Airways that, “by working with Jet Airways, India’s preferred premier full service, international network airline, we will be able to meet the demand for flights to and from India and beyond”. PTI