Another Indian airline seeks U.S. routes

Kingfisher Airlines, a two-year-old Indian carrier, has applied to begin service to the U.S. next year, according to Bloomberg News. The report said Kingfisher – which is owned by India’s largest brewery – needs a change in India’s civil aviation rules, which currently permit international flights only for airlines that have been around for at least five years. India’s civil aviation minister is said to be planning just such a change, Bloomberg said. Kingfisher reportedly wants to fly to New York and San Francisco. If approved, it will be just one more competitor in a growing field, as both U.S. and Indian carriers boost their service to the subcontinent from North America.

Air-India started new daily non-stop service this month between New York JFK and Mumbai, and India’s Jet Airways launched new flights between Newark-Mumbai service via Brussels, to be followed by flights to Toronto in September and to New York JFK and San Francisco by early next year. Currently, Delta offers daily JFK-Mumbai non-stops, while American flies non-stop from Chicago to Delhi. Continental, which offers non-stop Newark-Delhi flights and plans to add daily Newark-Mumbai non-stops October 1, recently entered into a partnership with Kingfisher for reciprocal frequent flyer and airport lounge privileges as of October 1, to be followed later this year by code-sharing.