Jet Airways, Air France-KLM deepen cooperation, extend code-share

Mumbai: India's Jet Airways and Air France-KLM on Wednesday announced enhanced cooperation, widening their existing code-share agreement to expand their operations between Europe and India.

The agreement will see Jet Airways, India' second largest airline by revenue, and Air France-KLM working together to develop their commercial and product offerings.

"This agreement strengthens the partnership built between these airlines since 2014 and expanded in 2016 with an extensive code-share agreement for connections between Europe and North America and Jet Airways hubs in Mumbai and New Delhi via Air France-KLM's hubs in Charles de Gaulle airport of Paris and Amsterdam-Schiphol," the carriers said.

These airlines' networks span 44 cities in India and 106 destinations across Europe and offer an extended network and increased capacity between Paris, Amsterdam and India.

Announcing the deal, Jean-Marc Janaillac, chairman and chief executive of Air France-KLM, said, "Air France-KLM and Jet Airways are launching the first cooperation agreement of its kind on the India Europe market, one of the markets at the heart of the group's strategy for the coming years."

"We are innovating within the airline industry by offering connections between two partnerships for the first time: our enhanced cooperation agreement for India-Europe with Jet and the Air France-KLM and Delta Airlines' Europe-North American joint venture.

"These airlines will, thus, connect India to a vast Trans-Atlantic network via the Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol hubs," he said.

Speaking about rising demand for seats in the India- Europe-North America sector, Janaillac said of the over 1,200,000 customers ferried between India and Europe last by Air France-KLM-Jet combine, half of them were travelling onward to North America.

Naresh Goyal, chairman of Jet Airways, said "the enhanced cooperation agreement between Jet, Air France-KLM being signed during our 25th year and Air France's 70 years in India, represents the next stage in our journey of offering greater choice, connectivity, and comfort across our combined global networks."

Recently, KLM launched an Amsterdam-Mumbai flight, while Jet started Bengaluru-Amsterdam and Chennai-Paris flights.

The agreement will improve better connectivity via Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam-Schiphol as well as Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai.

This agreement will also complement the Air France-KLM and Delta Airlines' Trans-Atlantic partnership between Europe and North America, offering access to over 200 destinations in North America.

The pact also covers Air France KLM Cargo and Jet Airways Cargo.

The Air France-KLM-Jet combine already operates 64 weekly flights between the Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol hubs and New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai.

While Jet is celebrating its 25 years of operations, Air France is entering the 70th year of operations in India.