European air services, Air Italy and WOW air have started their direct flight service from India’s national capital New Delhi on Friday (8), the two airlines said. Both airlines are operating Airbus A330 planes.
Three Air Italy flights a week will fly from New Delhi to Milan from December 14. Also, there would be direct services between India’s commercial capital, Mumbai and Milan with three flights a week.
The long air service provider with low cost, WOW air is scheduled to run three direct flights from New Delhi to Reykjavik, the capital city of Iceland.
Air Italy’s Chief Operating Officer Rossen Dimitrov said, the launch of its India-Italy sector represents another major step forward for the airline and reinforces its commitment to network expansion in Asia. He also added that India is a great market and there are “very high expectations” as there is an opportunity to grow.
WOW air India’s Managing Director Kiran Jain said the response received from India has been overwhelming. “Our ultra-low fares reflect the need for affordable travel from India to transatlantic destinations,” she noted.
The decision to start two long-distance air services from India to Europe shows a growing demand for air services. In October international passenger demand rose 6.3 per cent compared to October 2017, up from 5.1 per cent growth in September. Airlines in all regions recorded gains. Total capacity climbed 6.1 per cent, and load factor increased 0.1 percentage point to 79.8 per cent, according to the latest data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The global passenger traffic results for October showing that demand (measured in revenue passenger kilometres, or RPKs) rose 6.3 per cent compared to the same month last year. This marked a rebound from 5.5 per cent growth recorded in September, which was an eight-month low. Capacity also grew 6.3 per cent and load factor was flat at 81.1 per cent, matching last year’s record for the month, IATA added.
