DHL considering flights into India

MUMBAI: With India identified as a major growth centre, world''s leading express and logistics company DHL is considering starting flights into the country from this year.
"We have achieved a 30 per cent growth in the first quarter of 2003 against a budgetted 25 per cent and are investing substantially on infrastructure like warehousing", Country Manager Chris Callen told newspersons here on Thursday.
"India has been on our radar and with the growth we are seeing we are considering India as a point for touchdown for flights between Europe and Far East", Callen said at the re-launch of their parcel, express and logistics businesses'' visual identities under the new DHL brand here.
On the impact of the Gulf war and SARS in the far east, he said: "We have to wait and watch". A travel advisory has also been put in place restricting their visits to the affected regions, which are reviewed weekly, he added.
He said the Deutsche Post World Net, the parent company, has identified India an important region along with China, Japan and Australia.
Callen said the joint ventures in India - DHL with Air Freight Ltd and Danzas with Lemuir group, where they hold 51 per cent stake, would continue.
A major service centre, similar to the one they have abroad, was ready at Parel, in central Mumbai, and seven other similar centres have been planned, he added.