The Chairman of The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council  Praveenshankar Pandya, and Vice Chairman Russell Mehta, met with a delegation from the Consulate General of Belgium and Brussels Airlines today to discuss the proposal of Brussels Airlines to start  direct flights from Mumbai to Brussels.

Representing the two organisations were the Consul General of Belgium in Mumbai, Peter Huyghebaert and M. Jurgen Maerschand, Trade & Invest Commissioner from the Belgian Consulate; and Bernard Gustin, CEO, and Herman Carpentier, VP from Brussels Airlines.

At the outset, Gustin made a presentation explaining the working of Brussels Airlines.

Several questions and points were raised by the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Council. They asked whether there were plans to start night flights which would be most convenient for the business travellers. They also asked whether the airline would consider making a special offer to the diamond community like   corporate packages and Jain food inflight, which they said would attract more people to choose to   the airline. They   requested that a special lounge be allocated for the diamond community. It was    recommended that   flights should  connect  to Moscow via Brussels as this would work better for the diamond community of India. Finally, the Council office-bearers  suggested that   flight frequency should be increased during the  summer vacation and during school opening periods as many  Indian students study abroad.

In responding to the Council’s representatives, Gustin informed them that an airline could  be successful only  they got  maximum traffic from point to point. He said that currently the US was the most profitable route for his airline.

He said he would  work out some special offers for the Indian diamond community and would think about the proposals of special lounge and Jain food. There is already a  Brussels-Moscow connection he said.

Huyghebaert enquired  whether luggage is an important issue for Indian passengers. The Vice Chairman stressed that it is very important as  Indian passengers,  especially the diamond community who have their homes in Belgium,  always carry food stuff back with them.  Even  students  who study abroad  carry food stuff, study materials etc.