NEW DELHI: Jet Airways on Thursday entered into a codeshare agreement with Australia's Qantas and said it would start flights to the U.S. by next year.

According to the agreement, the two carriers can book passengers in each other's flights for travel between India and Australia via Singapore.

``The codeshare agreement with Qantas on the Delhi- Singapore and Mumbai-Singapore routes is part of a plan to team up with top carriers in key markets which we want to tap,'' Jet Airways Cheif Executive Officer Wolfgang Prock-Schauer told reporters here.

Jet, which also announced the launch of a new flight from Delhi to Singapore on Thursday, is expected to start its flights to the U.S. by next year. The airline, which is scheduled to get the first delivery of new A330 aircraft in January 2007, would make its Amritsar-London flights a daily service, he said.

"Moreover, we are looking at starting Delhi-Bangkok and Kolkata-Bangkok flights but it will be subject to regulatory approvals,'' Mr. Prock-Schauer said.

The codeshare services would be available for sale from August 14 and this would expand Qantas' network within India from September 6, subject to government approval.

Commenting on the agreement, Qantas General Manager South Asia Stephen Limbrick said the Australian carrier would be able to expand its network within India as a result of the pact. "Already we have Mumbai-Sydney flights and through this agreement, we will be able to reach Delhi as well and both the airlines stand to benefit as the traffic between India and Australia has been increasing,'' he said.

Under the codeshare pact, Qantas could now offer daily connections to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth via Singapore from Delhi, he said.

For Jet Airways, the agreement means it can tap passengers from India who are looking for travel Down Under, where it has no immediate plans to have its own flights.

``We have no plans in the near future to operate our own flights to Australia and this agreement gives us the opportunity to serve our passengers planning to travel to Australia,'' Mr. Prock-Schauer said. — PTI

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