Jet Airways to move hub to Abu Dhabi after effecting the alliance with Etihad

by Ajay 2 Comments

With rapid progress being made on the Jet Airways equity alliance with Etihad Airways (the deal is expected to go through by September 30), details have begin to emerge about the commercial cooperation between 9W and EY. The fear of this being just one-sided and everyone travelling on EY metal after changing planes at Abu Dhabi seem to be unfounded.

Here are some pointers into the game plan which will emerge going forward:

  • Jet Airways will develop Abu Dhabi as an exclusive hub for flights to North America, South America, Africa and the UAE.
  • Jet Airways will have to route its services to Dubai & Sharjah via Abu Dhabi when it becomes economically viable. However, it seems exceptions can be made to this, with the permission of EY. Almost all airlines in the UAE that fly to India, provide bus or limousine services to passengers on arrival at the airport (Abu Dhabi to Dubai, Dubai to Abu Dhabi etc.)
  • No more code-share pacts between Jet Airways and other airlines if this results in bypassing Abu Dhabi. Jet would only be able to keep code shares with airlines if there is not a Etihad or its affiliates presence there.

According to the same news report, Jet Airways will soon launch flights from Mumbai to Newark, Bangalore to Chicago & Delhi to New York JFK (via Abu Dhabi), which means the existing scissor hub at Brussels would be gone sooner than later. This would also complement Etihad’s existing services to New York JFK, Chicago and Washington Dulles.

Jet Airways will also start flights in the next 6 months to Abu Dhabi from the following cities if not already flying (Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram & Cochin).

By the looks of what is presented, this looks like a sensible strategy to follow, because Jet Airways would still be able to fly to European stations by itself, and look east as well to increase their international presence. There are already talks about restarting the Shanghai flights.

Looks like after years there will be a resurged focus on launching flights rather than canning them. I’m sure waiting to hear and experience how this pans out for Jet Airways.

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About Ajay

Ajay Awtaney is the Founder and Editor of Live From A Lounge (LFAL), a pioneering digital platform renowned for publishing news and views about aviation, hotels, passenger experience, loyalty programs, travel trends and frequent travel tips for the Global Indian. He is considered the Indian authority on business travel, luxury travel, frequent flyer miles, loyalty credit cards and travel for Indians around the globe. Ajay is a frequent contributor and commentator on the media as well, including ET Now, BBC, CNBC TV18, NDTV, Conde Nast Traveller and many other outlets.

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Comments

  1. This is very good for North American travelers traveling to India via Jet Airways to cities like HYD. I really don’t like the Brussels hop. Glad that Jet Airways is heading in the right direction!

    Reply

  2. Looks like a well thought out strategy indeed, though I would prefer flying EY’s premium product to Americas/Europe rather than 9W, if given an option.

    Best thing about this may be that the value and flexibility of my JP miles will go up 🙂

    Reply

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