The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Direct West-bound link yet to be established

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 16, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Direct West-bound link yet to be established

By T.S. Shankar

CHENNAI, JULY 15. This day in 1954, the national carrier, Air India, began its maiden operations to Singapore from Mumbai via Chennai (then Madras) with a Constellation-749 aircraft christened `Himalayan Princess.'

Even as the Chennai-based staff and officers are upbeat about the Chennai region completing 50 years of on-line operations in its network, the travel trade is disappointed that the national airline is yet to establish a direct west-bound link out of the gateway of south India.

There is still a ray of hope for the Chennaites. There has been a 7-8 per cent growth in the west-bound traffic from Chennai. "We have not lost hope with our flagship carrier and are confident that our decade-old demand will be met at least now," says D. Sudhakara Reddy, president, Air Passengers' Association of India.

"I have set the task before me. AI will put a flight where there is a demand. So west-bound from Chennai appears a potential area. We will seriously work on this route," the Chairman, AI, V. Thulasidas, said on his first visit to the city. The national carrier is operating 23 flights to the U.S., with London as its transit point. Frankfurt is fast emerging the second hub and a direct connection to New York or New Jersey via London or Frankfurt will be ideal for travellers from south India, say sources.

Dayanidhi Maran, Union Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunications, has appealed to the Prime Minister to include the Chennai airport in the list of airports to be modernised along with Mumbai and New Delhi. The travel trade here wants Mr.Maran to impress upon the Union Civil Aviation Minister, Prafulla Patel, the need to put Chennai in the direct West-bound route network map of AI.

In the absence of Air India services to the West, the European airlines has capitalised in this sector. Lufthansa, German Airline, has increased its tri-weekly operations to six from Chennai. The British Airways is waiting to double its bi-weekly operations.

While Malaysia Airlines recently shifted its operations from daytime to night to fly to Kuala Lumpur, Singapore Airlines is looking beyond Singapore.

At present, AI operates a total of 35 flights from Anna International Terminal, linking important cities in the U.K., U.S., Europe, South-East Asia, Far-East Asia, the Gulf and Middle East.

To commemorate the historic occasion, Air India has arranged for a brief function at the AIT to formally greet its flight (AI-445) arriving from Singapore on Friday. The AI's Regional Director-India, based in Mumbai, Capt. P.P. Singh, will be present with the Commercial Manager-Tamil Nadu, P.S. Rajagopal.

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