Covid-19: Singapore Airlines may grab Emirates, Etihad traffic in India

The advantage for Singapore Airlines will come from the fact that India doesn't allow foreign airlines to directly fly passengers to a third country.

The Covid-19 outbreak is unexpectedly providing an opportunity to Singapore Airlines to grab a share of the lucrative Indian market held by rivals Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways through a local affiliate.

Vistara, which Singapore Airlines jointly owns with Indian conglomerate Tata Group, is about to get its second Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet, and expects demand for long-haul international travel from India to rise when travel restrictions lift, Chief Commercial Officer Vinod Kannan said in an interview. While the outbreak has delayed expansion plans for the airline, people will prefer direct flights as demand returns toward the end of the year,