INDIA'S largest domestic air carrier, Jet Airways, on Saturday launched the country's first non-stop flights to Shanghai from Mumbai and onward to San Francisco, looking to tap into the growing business traffic between the three booming financial hubs.
The route is operated by a new Boeing 777-300 ER jet, which leaves Mumbai at 11:15am and reaches Shanghai at 7:45pm local time. The flight will then leave Shanghai for San Francisco at 9:45pm.
"This is indeed a momentous occasion for Jet Airways as we connect three major economies of the world," said Sudheer Raghavan, chief commercial officer of Jet Airways, in an interview with Shanghai Daily. "We are proud to be in Shanghai."
Raghavan said the real potential of the route lay in China and in the rising volume of trade with India.
Trade between the two countries stood at US$25 billion in 2006 and surged to US$38 billion last year.
"It is not going to be a flight that is largely dominated by the United States and India," he said. "Eventually, we hope to have a balanced contribution of 30 percent from each of the three countries."
The airline, India's first major private operator, acquired permission to launch operations in China following a bilateral agreement signed between the countries in March to expand flights and open beyond rights.
Beyond rights, also called the "fifth freedom," allow an airline to fly from one country, land in a second country, and then to embark passengers or cargo and fly on to a third country which is the final destination.
Jet Airways is looking to enter into code-share deals with Chinese carriers to other destinations in China beyond Shanghai and to the US.
Raghavan said the airline is in talks with carriers, including China Eastern Airlines, Air China and Shanghai Airlines.
The airline has been focusing on expanding its international operations in the past six months, adding nine destinations to its network. Shanghai and San Francisco are the air carrier's 18th and 19th international destinations, and it expects to soon launch flights to Dubai.
Raghavan is confident that the airline's quality of service and its schedule will allow it to attract passengers from its competitors on the Shanghai-San Francisco route.
The flight offers the world's longest airline beds, private closets, dining tables for two, 23-inch (58.42-centimeter) flat screens and Chinese food.