India’s Kingfisher Airlines Forays Into Middle East; Announces Launch Of UAE-India Flights

Kingfisher Airlines, India’s only Five Star airline rated by Skytrax, today announced its entry into the Middle East connecting India and the UAE, as part of its strategy of expanding its global footprint and adding new destinations to its international route network.

In a message sent to commemorate the launch of this new international route of Kingfisher Airlines, Dr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman and CEO, Kingfisher Airlines Limited, said, “Ever since its launch, Kingfisher Airlines has raised the bar with many market-firsts and innovations that have completely redefined the whole experience of flying. Given the strong linkages between the UAE and India, the launch of this new route will mean that travelers will now have the option to enjoy the award-winning Kingfisher Experience.”

Addressing the media at a press conference at the launch of its daily direct flights from Dubai to Bangalore, Mr. Siva Ramachandran, Vice President-Global Sales, Kingfisher Airlines Limited said: “I am delighted to announce the commencement of flights between Dubai and Bangalore which marks our entry into the UAE market for the first time. Dubai is the airline’s fourth international destination after London, Colombo and Dhaka. The flights between Dubai and Bangalore will be operated using the A320 family of aircraft featuring Kingfisher Class, the premium economy service from Kingfisher Airlines. What is unique to Kingfisher Airlines is that it has one of the largest networks in India connecting over 50 destinations from Bangalore which will assure seamless connectivity to our guests from the UAE who intend to fly to practically any major Indian city.”

Describing the launch of Kingfisher Airlines’ flight as an important development that further solidifies the strong links between the two vibrant and emerging economies and two vital entities, Mr. Richard Talian, Vice President, Strategy, Dubai Airports said, “While Dubai is the business and leisure capital of the region, Bangalore is the heart of India’s multi-billion dollar IT sector. And whereas Dubai Airports is considered one the world’s leading aviation hubs, Kingfisher Airlines is one of India’s fastest growing international carriers.”

The award-winning Kingfisher Experience includes onboard comforts so that guests are able to rest in the roomiest seats in the sky with a wide seat pitch and ample room to stretch their legs. Moreover, the dining options ensure that guests have an ample spread with a choice of mouth-watering options and a perfect accompaniment from a selection of beverages on board. The In-Flight Entertainment system will ensure enthralling world-class entertainment with a personal system on every seat featuring the latest blockbuster movies, English and Hindi TV programmes and Kingfisher Radio.

Mr. Ramachandran highlighted that the newly launched flights offer the best-in-class experience amongst the narrow-body products serving this route and this coupled with ideal and convenient timings, will offer travelers on this route a better option. “Our aim is to offer unprecedented convenience and comfort to our customers, both Indian expats as well as tourists from both countries. Thanks to our very competitive fares and Kingfisher Airlines’ vast and unparalleled domestic network in India, the initial response to the launch of these new flights has been extremely encouraging and we look forward to rapidly consolidating our market share on this new international route.”

The flight will take off from Dubai at 10:10 pm and reach Bangalore at 3:45 am, the following day. Kingfisher Airlines flights operate from Terminal 1 of Dubai Airport. The flights are conveniently timed with the flight from Bangalore leaving at 6:15 pm and reaching Dubai at 8:55 pm, local time.

Guests flying in to Bangalore from Dubai on Kingfisher Airlines will now have the added advantage of having very conveniently timed onward connections to many domestic destinations in India with almost immediate connections from Bangalore to Mangalore, Goa, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Pune, Kolkata, Hubli, Belgaum, Nagpur, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad and all major metros in India. In addition, guests will also have the option of conveniently timed onward connections on Kingfisher Airlines flights to international destinations like Colombo and Dhaka.

Bangalore is ideally placed as a transit hub for travelers flying from Belgaum, Chennai, Calicut, Coimbatore, Hubli, Kochi, Mangalore, Thiruvananthapuram and Vijaywada into Dubai as it offers easy connectivity, thanks to the fact that it has a minimum connect time. Outbound travelers connecting with this flight of Kingfisher Airlines will not have to change or transfer from one airport terminal to another as the domestic and international sections are less than 100 meters away from each other.

Kingfisher Airlines caters to all segments of the air travel ranging from low-fare service-Kingfisher Red, to the premium economy service-Kingfisher Class, to the luxurious Kingfisher First.

High-Level French Delegation Meets With Jafza Officials

A high-level French delegation, comprising senior officials from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Northern French region of Nord Pas de Calais, recently met with senior officials from Jafza to discuss the investment opportunities in the free zone and to increase the scope of cooperation between the two sides.

The delegation accompanied by the Consul General of France in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, HE Nada Yafi met with Chief Operating Officer of Jafza, Pat McGillycuddy, and Chief Commercial Officer, Ibrahim Al Janahi. The visiting officials were taken on an extensive tour of the Free Zone’s various award-winning facilities.

Talks between the delegation and Jafza representatives focused on investment opportunities, facilities and services offered by Jafza to help companies serve the Middle East markets efficiently.

Welcoming the delegation, Mr. Ibrahim Al Janahi said: “Nord Pas de Calais is a well-known industrial region in France and many companies are looking to expand their operations to overseas destinations. We are very keen to forge more long-term sustainable partnerships with companies based there. France and Dubai have both witnessed growing bilateral trade over the decades. Jafza’s trade with France in 2008 stood at USD 898 million and we expect this figure to grow in future."

Mr. Al Janahi also disclosed that more than 100 French companies are at present based in Jafza including several top notch names such as Total, Schlumberger, Renault, Christian Dior among others, in different commercial, industrial and service sectors. The number of French companies in the Free Zone has grown almost four-fold since the turn of the millennium.

"Jafza has emerged as an important profit centre for these companies, serving key markets in the MENA region, Indian subcontinent and other emerging economies in West Asia. Over the years we have continued to generate significant interest from French companies eager to set up base here. This visit has underscored the opportunities for further trade between France and the countries in the region, which is why the Chamber of Commerce will host a business seminar on Dubai for French companies looking to trade from this region later this year."

Mr. Pat McGillycuddy also briefed the visiting delegation on various Economic Zones World (EZW) projects in France that are being developed and executed by Gazeley, its specialised sustainable industrial and logistics infrastructure solution provider. EZW is the parent company of Jafza, Gazeley, TechnoPark and DAZ. It is currently engaged in more than 30 economic zones and logistics park projects worldwide

Dubai Airport Free Zone Offers Meglobal Easy Access To Emerging Economies

The Middle East market continues to be a desirable market for long-term growth due to rapidly developing regional economies and increased demand for petrochemical products, according to Rose Anwar, of MEGlobal, a petrochemical company operating out of the Dubai Airport Free Zone.

MEGlobal is the exclusive marketer of Monoethylene Glycol (MEG) and Diethylene Glycol (DEG) produced by Equate Petrochemical Company of Kuwait. These products are marketed and sold to a wide customer base in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia.

The current global economic crisis is making business conditions for all petrochemical companies quite difficult. However, the Middle East remains a desirable market for long-term growth due to rapidly developing economies and increased demand for petrochemical products explained Ms. Anwar.

MEGlobal is a 50:50 joint venture between the Dow Chemical Company (Dow) of the United States and Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) of Kuwait. The organization was formed in July 2004.

As a joint venture of two of the leading chemical producers in the world, MEGlobal offers the deepest and broadest resources in the EG industry. In forming MEGlobal, Dow and PIC arrived at a shared vision that provides our customers with substantial benefits that our two partners could not offer as separate entities.

“MEGlobal is a perfect example of a company that takes advantage of the strategic location of the Dubai Airport Free Zone to be close to emerging markets in the Indian Subcontinent, the Middle East and Arica,” said Mr. Mohammed Bin Suwailem , Director Sales, Dubai Airport Free Zone.
“Dubai Airport Free Zone is one of the world’s fast growing Free Zones that provides international companies an alternative business prospect to economies in the West suffering a recession. We facilitate access to emerging economies in the region,” Mr. Bin Suwailem stressed.

Ms. Anwar added the petrochemical industry has been one of the hardest hit segments in this global financial crisis and many chemical companies have gone out of business or significantly reduced their operating capabilities.

“MEGlobal does not see a major reduction in our growth pattern as we continue to focus on economic growth in key emerging regions (India, Pakistan, Latin America),” she said.

She added, “Like every other company however, MEGlobal is carefully watching its inventory and managing cash levels during this crisis.”

Mr. Suwailem added that Dubai Airport Free Zone facilities and services have been acclaimed and earned an international reputation in the industry.

Ms. Anwar added MEGlobal’s primary focus here is to promote the market in India, Pakistan and Latin America. “We are growing our market position in the emerging markets in these regions, so the Dubai headquarters is an ideal location for accessibility to these key economies.”