‘We Take India Seriously And Plan To Increase Frequencies To The Destination’

Having successfully launched their maiden flight on September 26, 2004, with a 97 per cent load factor, Etihad Airways is all set to take on the Indian skies. Charles Phelps-Penry, area manager - South East Asia, Etihad Airways in an exclusive with Charmaine Fernz, talks about the present and future scenario

Etihad was founded on November 5, 2003 by the government of Abu Dhabi and has been termed the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates better known to many as UAE. At present, the airline has six aircraft comprising of four A330’s, one A340 and one B767. With a tagline- 'See How We Shine', our motto would be to offer Arabian hospitality in a modern atmosphere. Having begun 11 months ago, we operate 10-11 routes world wide and Mumbai is the 11th destination on our route map. We have very strategic future targets for this year and the next. The year 2004 will also see the launch of operations for worldwide destinations such as Karachi and Johannesburg. For the coming next year, our plans include operating destinations such as the Far East ie Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, in Northern Asia and Europe ie Frankfurt, Brussels, Paris, USA and Cairo.

The Indian Scenario

We want to expand in the Indian market. To begin with we plan to commence operations to Delhi in the first week of December and would also look into the possibility of setting up an office there. The coming year will see us expanding operations in two or three Southern states, our preferences though include Kochi, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Thiruvananthpuram as they are budding markets. However, at the moment, talks are on for these destinations. The reason we tapped India in our primary stage is due to the fact that India is a major market and an economic hub. There is a 70 per cent load factor at the very least from the country to the Middle-East. The travel market is growing exponentially due to the rise in disposable income for the middle class. Another factor is the increasing trade between India and UAE. Keeping all these factors in mind, post launch, we plan to increase our frequencies. We are in the process of making Mumbai operations a daily schedule. We offer Indian passengers value for money packages through promotional offers from the travel industry and thus want to develop a strong presence.

Services & More

Taking the Indian customer into consideration, we want to offer quality at a high level with a unique approach. This is evident in our attitude as we treat our passengers as guests, thereby providing a much personalised service. Our classes our uniquely named, doing away with the routine, First, Business or Economy Class; we prefer to call it - Diamond, Pearl and Coral Zones. In the Diamond Zone, we offer all comforts of a First Class cabin ie flat beds and privacy while in the Pearl Zone, we are offering slumberettes, which would in due course of time be upgraded to flat beds. At present all our aircraft are leased. However, we are undertaking a major investment programme next year wherein plans are afoot to purchase our own aircraft. In-flight catering service at the moment is being taken care of from Abu Dhabi itself, but in the long-term we would look at other options.

Taking Off To The Future

On a futuristic note, being a new carrier, we would not want to rush into things on the alliance front and this would also pertain to a frequent flier programme. We are aware of the on-going stand on commission structures, but, we would provide agents the normal commissions. In the long run, we would follow what is set out by the national carrier in a country and is amicable with the industry. On the distribution front, we are being handled by Amadeus, which is our home system. We are also working on the e-booking and a user friendly website to comply with IATA rules for e-ticketing. Nonetheless, we would like to beat the deadline by 2006. Certain code-share agreements are being worked out but at the moment we offer simple interline relationship wherein we have 90 preferred partners. Our advertising medium would be primarily through print, radio and outdoor billboards. We want to consolidate our position in India and generate the necessary market share. We also want our guests to speak about our hospitality which would mean 'word of mouth' advertising, which is again a very powerful tool.