Airlines will increase flights to international destinations from Mumbai

Thanks to the worldwide economic downturn, a number of air carriers cancelled service in and out of Mumbai in 2008 and 2009.

Austrian Airlines, for instance, shut down its direct service between Mumbai-Vienna.

Due to lack of runway space, in August 2010 the Indian government suspended granting permission for new international flights to and from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

This year, however, the situation may be improving for those seeking international flights in and out of Mumbai. A number of airlines are set to inaugurate service to and from Mumbai to destinations as far away as Muscat and Male.

Meanwhile, the aviation ministry and environmental ministry have sorted out their differences and given the green light to Mumbai's second international airport. By 2013, Mumbai is expected to be able to handle 40 million-plus air passengers annually.

In January, the Indian government awarded increased international flying rights, which had been on hold for almost a year, to various Indian airlines. The largest share went to Jet Airways.

“Except GoAir, every carrier will have some international operation,” said Kapil Kaul, chief executive officer, South Asia, for aviation consulting firm Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. “The real thrust will be felt by fiscal 2012-13.”

Here's a future look at select new international flights originating from Mumbai in 2011.

Lufthansa Aviation Group: Munich, Vienna

The German giant Lufthansa Group (which includes Austrian Airlines and Swiss International Airlines, among others) is aiming for a return to India with daily flights to and from Europe.

On April 1, Lufthansa will start daily flights from Mumbai to Munich.

Vienna Airlines began flying between Mumbai and Vienna in October 2010.

Egypt Air: Cairo 

Egypt's national carrier currently flies from Mumbai to Cairo five times a week. According to the Egyptian Aviation blog, daily flights between the cities will begin by the end of this year.

Thai Airways International: Phuket, Bangkok

Thailand’s national carrier is exploring the potential to connect Mumbai to Phuket in October 2011.

“We are receiving lot of demand from Indian travellers exploring destinations in Thailand, like Phuket, Krabi and Chiang Mai," said Thai Airways spokesman Chris Chantalitanon. "Our aim is to cater to this potential segment, connecting them directly to Phuket.”

The wedding/vacation market is driving demand from India to Phuket.

Thai will also increase its Mumbai-Bangkok offerings to 14 flights weekly beginning in April.

Jet Airways: Kuala Lumpur, Male, Abu Dhabi, Dammam, Dubai

According to Mint, Jet Airways has acquired the rights to a slew of routes to Europe, including flights to Rome and Amsterdam from Mumbai.

Also in the pipeline: Mumbai-Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai-Abu Dhabi, Mumbai-Dubai and Mumbai-Male.

The Mumbai-Dammam and Mumbai-Dubai routes are slated to be operational by March 28.

IndiGo: Bangkok, Singapore, Muscat, Dubai

IndiGo, India's low cost carrier, was recently awarded international route rights by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. By August, it will fly daily from Mumbai to Bangkok, Singapore, Muscat and Dubai.

IndiGo will announce schedules for these routes in the coming months.

“As IndiGo turns five in August 2011, this approval dovetails well into its planning process,” said an IndiGo spokesperson. “This will hasten the process of Indian carriers taking back some of the market share that has been lost over the past many decades to foreign carriers.”

Kingfisher Airlines: Joins Oneworld alliance with British Airways

Last year, swashbuckler of the skies, Kingfisher Airlines, partnered with Oneworld. The benefits of the arrangement should be brought to fruition by September this year.

British Airways will support Kingfisher Airlines through its alliance implementation program, as its Oneworld sponsor.

Read on CNNGo: British Airways, Kingfisher Airlines become family

“Becoming part of Oneworld would be one of our most significant steps so far and is right in line with our vision to become one of the world’s top airlines,” said Kingfisher Airlines chairman and chief executive Vijay Mallya.

“It will enable us to offer our guests a truly global network served by partners who include some of the best known and most admired airlines in the world, with frequent flyer benefits extended throughout this network.”

Expect Kingfisher links to cities on every continent.

SpiceJet: Colombo

SpiceJet will add Mumbai-Colombo flights later this year.