Kingfisher Airlines has launched its first international flight from the high-tech southern city of Bangalore to London. The daily non-stop A330-220 service to Heathrow airport by Kingfisher took to the skies on 3 September.
The privately-owned airline last year bought out low-cost Indian carrier Deccan Aviation giving it the right to fly aboard. Under Indian rules, carriers less than five years old cannot fly internationally. Kingfisher was founded three years ago while Deccan is five years old.
The decision to add overseas destinations is expected to heat up rivalry with India’s largest airline Jet Airways. India’s major airlines have posted losses due to soaring fuel costs that have driven up fares, reducing passenger traffic. The sector has been hit by a wave of mergers as airlines have sought to cut costs.
Separately, Kingfisher has installed iCargoNet, a SaaS version of IBS Cargo Management System (CMS) to manage its cargo business.
Kingfisher last year augmented its nationwide cargo network with the inauguration of a full-fledged, state-ofthe- art cargo warehouse in Goa, complete with an X-Ray machine, weighing equipment and the IT systems.