Jet Airways has decided to quit the Chinese mainland market from next year because of the global economic downturn.

India's largest private carrier, which opened its first route from India to the mainland in June, said it plans to optimize its network by focusing on established routes. The carrier's Mumbai-Shanghai-San Francisco route will be discontinued from January 13, 2009.

Passenger traffic between India and San Francisco will be served via Jet Airways' London gateway, in cooperation with partner airlines.

Sources said that demand between Mumbai and San Francisco was quite weak, partly due to the turmoil in the global economy.

Last month, the carrier announced that during the off-season it would reduce flight frequency on the route because of weak demand.

It has already formed a partnership with United Airlines, with connections between Mumbai and several United States cities via London.

Jet Airways said in an earlier interview with Shanghai Daily that it wanted to enter code-share deals with Chinese carriers to extend its reach to other Chinese cities. But in recent months, the Indian aviation industry has posted its worst losses on record.

The International Air Transport Association predicts that fuel costs and the smaller profit margins of cut-rate fares may mean India's airlines post the world's second-biggest loss this year, after the US airline industry.

(Shanghai Daily October 15, 2008)