Monday, June 6 2005 14:20 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: With three more leased Airbus A310 joining the fleet, Air-India will link Seoul and introduce non-stop flights between Delhi-Kuala Lampur and Mumbai-Singapore and Kuala Lampur from next month.

The services to the south Korean capital will operate from Mumbai via Delhi and Hong Kong four times a week while three other services would operate upto Hong Kong, Chairman and managing director V Thulasidas told reporter in Mumbai today (June 6, 2005).

A-I is also starting three non-stop services each from Mumbai and Delhi to Kuala Lampur and four services between Mumbai and Singapore.

Commercial Director V K Verma said the airline was looking for more aircraft to be taken on lease for deployment on other sectors also, both for Air-India and Air-India Express, the budget airline presently operating flights mostly out of Kerala to the Gulf.

The airline is to convert two A310s into freighters and cargo services are to begin from 2007, he said.

Thulasidas said the low cost airline, whose load factor is as high as 95 per cent, is expecting four aircraft between January and April next year.

On the financial performance of the airline last fiscal, Thulasidas, "We expect only marginal profits mainly because of high fuel prices".