Cathay Pacific says no plan to invest in Indian carrier

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific today asked India to relook into the "high" airport tariffs and said it has no plans to invest in any Indian carrier.

"Airlines are working in wafer-thin margin and such high airport charges were not going to help Indian aviation sector in long-term view," Tom Wright, General Manager, South Asia, Middle East and Africa, told reporters.

He said Indian airports are some of the most expensive in the world and high airport charges were detrimental to the growth of passenger traffic and hard on airlines struggling to maintain their margins.

Though bouyed by India's passenger traffic potential, Wright said Cathay Pacific had no plans to invest in domestic carriers now as "our business model doesn't allow for the same."

The airline today announced its new business class cabin and its new premium economy class cabin which the airline was going to deploy on Delhi-Hong Kong route from October 29.

He said the airline was buoyant about passenger traffic growth from India to several destinations like Hong Kong, China, South Korea and Japan in the Far East and other places in Southeast Asia.

The airline would be flying to Kolkata with four flights per week from November 2, 2012 with its sister concern
Dragonair. The airline would be entering Hyderabad with four flights per week from December 2.