London-based Indian entrepreneur, Naresh Goyal, today confirmed details of an aggressive USD3.7 billion investment programme aimed at transforming his airline, Jet Airways, into a top five global carrier.
The investment includes the order of 30 new long-haul aircraft and a complete refurbishment of its on-board products and services to offer air travellers the very best in comfort and luxury in the skies.
In a first across all UK to India routes Jet Airways has launched exclusive ‘private suites’ in First Class as well as new fully flat beds in Première (business class) and a uniquely designed economy seat. All the new products will take to the skies in early May 2007 on the London Heathrow-Mumbai route as the airline receives the first of its 20 new wide-bodied aircraft, a Boeing 777-300ER (B777).
The new cabins will be rolled out on all of Jet Airways’ 27 weekly flights from London Heathrow to major cities in India (Mumbai, Delhi, Amritsar and Ahmedabad) over the next two years as nine further B777 aircraft and 10 Airbus A330-200 aircraft are delivered from their manufacturers.
Jet Airways remains set to pursue its vigorous growth strategy by continuing to invest in new aircraft and expand its international route network over the next few years. In addition to the wide-bodied aircraft order the airline holds options to buy further aircraft of each type and has recently signed to purchase ten Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft with deliveries commencing in 2011. The airline has also announced that it will start flying between India and the United States (via Brussels) from August 2007.
Naresh Goyal, Chairman of Jet Airways, said, “The new cabins launched today represent an exciting leap forward in our expansion plans. The seats are at the cutting-edge of airline design technology and promise to surpass the very best of the British and International competition for comfort, luxury and style. We have spent more than two years designing each cabin and are confident in saying that the flying experience on Jet Airways will be the very best in the air.”
This will be the first time Jet Airways has offered a First Class service and each B777 aircraft will feature eight ‘suites’ offering the ultimate in luxury travel. The suites have been designed to be a home-away-from-home and will provide more than 26sq feet of space featuring dual sliding doors to create a feeling of absolute privacy. The seat within will extend to the world’s longest fully flat bed at 83 inches and each suite will include a 23 inch television screen, a personal wardrobe, the option to dine ‘a deux’ as well as state-of-the-art office facilities.
Air travellers flying in the airline’s new Première cabin will enjoy an innovative new seat that takes the ‘bedroom-in-the-sky’ model to a new level. Each seat has been designed to maximize comfort and sleep with 35 inches of shoulder room, 33 inches of hip space and a generous 73 inch long fully flat bed. The seat also features an in-built massage system, lumbar support, a 15.4 inch television screen, laptop power and the ability to receive SMS, Emails and live text reads at the touch of a button.
Economy travellers will experience a first-of-its-kind Recaro ergonomic seat with 32 inches of leg-room and cradle support for the head, neck and feet to enable the most comfortable of positions when flying.
Developed by Panasonic, the new state-of-the-art eX2 entertainment system will deliver an unparalleled range of audio and visual options on-demand to every passenger at the touch of a button.
To reflect its values and vision for the future the airline has also contemporized its corporate identity with a new brand mark and aircraft livery design. Landor and Associates of London have worked alongside Jet Airways to create the new images which will be displayed on the tailfins of its aircraft.
To complete the look, leading Italian fashion designer, Roberto Capucci, has created a stylish uniform for air and ground crew, bringing together Eastern and Western cultures using elegant tailoring, rich colours and a chic modern design that reflects the spirit of a new India.
Naresh Goyal, said, “We have seen impressive growth in the UK marketplace in the last two years and believe that with our new aircraft, highly competitive products, unrivalled levels of customer service and attractive pricing we will become the number one airline of choice for visitors to India.”
NOTE: First class will be available on Jet Airways new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft only