Air Jet Airways

Delhi: Air France-KLM, which last year entered into an intensified collaboration with Jet Airways (India) Ltd., will intensify its partnership with the airline to achieve anticipated double-digit traffic market expansion in India and North America, said KLM Chairman and CEO Pieter Elbers on Wednesday.

"First, we set up connectivity and sharing on each other's networks. Now, we (the Jet Airways alliance) are taking it to the next step in bringing it closer to our customers," said Mr. Elblers at the International Aviation Summit India in New Delhi. He said Air France-KLM and Jet Airways are also working to align their airline programs for frequently flyers.

In November 2017, the agreement between Jet Airways and Air France-KLM gave the Mumbai-based airline broader exposure to Europe and North America - to million of foreign Indians. Air France-KLM has significantly improved its entry into the India one of the most rapidly expanding markets in the global economy. Mr Elblers said he was "surprised" by the pace at which the Air France - KLM - Jet Airways coalition had evolved.

"When you see the degree of sophistication and collaboration today in comparison to the amount of effort it took to establish alliance in the US and China, I am very excited about the pace at which we are progressing and Jet Airways' commitment," said Mr Elblers. Jet Airways sees Air France-KLM as an integrated airline connecting India with the USA via hub airports in Amsterdam and Charles de Gaulle (CDG) in Paris.

"Everybody knows there's a massive passenger stream from India and the United States. The use of our Amsterdam and CDG hub, which are among the most powerful in Europe, and their direct connection to Jet Airways' hub networks will help us," said Mr Elblers. "We now have a solid foothold in the European, US and India regions.

Our business has grown at double-digit rates (in the India and US markets)," he added. However, Mr Elbe did not commented on Jet Airways' present position. Nor did he say whether Air France-KLM is interested in either acquiring or acquiring a shareholding in Jet Airways. "India's home base is vast.

Ultimately, our role as aerospace specialists is to enable travellers to move between Amritsar, an India town, and a town in Denmark," said Mr Elblers. "This is a great chance to take advantage of Jet Airways' home network," a Jet Airways spokesman commented.