India ranks high on Emirates' radar: Richard Vaughan
Emirates Airlines became the first international carrier to fly the world’s largest aircraft Airbus A-380 to India, landing the big bird at the new Terminal-3 of Delhi international airport.
By ET Bureau |
Emirates Airlines became the first international carrier to fly the world’s largest aircraft Airbus A-380 to India, landing the big bird at the new Terminal-3 of Delhi international airport. Emirates senior vice-president (worldwide commercial operations) Richard Vaughan spoke to Chanchal Pal Chauhan on the strategic role of the Indian market in its future plans. Excerpts:
Almost half of Emirates’ profits come from the Indian subcontinent and Australian region. When do we see Emirates starting regular service for Airbus 380 to the Indian market?
This is one of the strategically most important market for us. We would fly the A-380 to Australia in the next few months and other markets in the region are also on the radar. Emirates has the largest A-380 fleet in the world with 90 aircraft, with 11 of them already in operation. We are flying it to China next month and would negotiate with the Indian government to bring this machine. There has been a substantial growth in the business class occupancy, which is driving major growth in revenues.
Given Emirates’ large share in international passenger traffic to and from India and growth in the country, are you planning to step up recruitment here?
We have 10,400 Indian nationals working for the airline currently. As a major portion of our passenger are Indians and Indian expats, we are looking at options to increase the number as we expand globally.
Agents commission has been a bone of contention for international carriers in India. How is Emirates operating?
We are paying 5% commission and will continue irrespective of the stand of other carriers. We follow a localised policy for every market and in India, commission is important for us to grow and expand.
Almost half of Emirates’ profits come from the Indian subcontinent and Australian region. When do we see Emirates starting regular service for Airbus 380 to the Indian market?
This is one of the strategically most important market for us. We would fly the A-380 to Australia in the next few months and other markets in the region are also on the radar. Emirates has the largest A-380 fleet in the world with 90 aircraft, with 11 of them already in operation. We are flying it to China next month and would negotiate with the Indian government to bring this machine. There has been a substantial growth in the business class occupancy, which is driving major growth in revenues.
Given Emirates’ large share in international passenger traffic to and from India and growth in the country, are you planning to step up recruitment here?
We have 10,400 Indian nationals working for the airline currently. As a major portion of our passenger are Indians and Indian expats, we are looking at options to increase the number as we expand globally.
Agents commission has been a bone of contention for international carriers in India. How is Emirates operating?
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We are paying 5% commission and will continue irrespective of the stand of other carriers. We follow a localised policy for every market and in India, commission is important for us to grow and expand.
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