Air India officially opens new hub at Frankfurt Intl Airport

Air India has officially opened its European hub at the Frankfurt International Airport from where it will operate its west-bound flights.

The airline had launched two new daily US-bound flights from Mumbai and Delhi and back last Sunday.

The Deputy Chairman of the Frankfurt International Airport Stefan Schulte has said that Air India's chances of joining the Star Alliance, the consortium of 21 global carriers, have been improved by the opening of the Frankfurt hub. "It is a good preparation for joining the alliance," he said.

He hailed it as a milestone in more than 50 years of cooperation between the airport and India's national carrier and said it could lead to closer tie-ups in the coming years.

Air India and its passengers can now benefit from the airports' excellent connectivity, modern infrastructure and opportunities for operating new flights to many destinations, he told PTI in an interview.

The Frankfurt Airport is ready to offer Air India more such facilities to expand its operations, he said.

Air India has good prospects to start new flights to and from Frankfurt when the airport's third runway becomes operational by the year 2011.