Ambassador of the Netherlands to India Alphonsus H M Stoelinga (centre) with chief execuitive officer of Jet Airways Vinay Dube (left) and head of corporate sales Jet Airways Praveen Iyer in Bengaluru on Wednesday. DH PHOTO
The Netherlands will open a Consulate General in Bengaluru soon, Dutch ambassador to India Alphonsus Stoelinga said on Wednesday. Bengaluru is the second city in India after Mumbai to host the high-profile centre.
“We are planning a ‘Holland meets Bengaluru’ event this month, which is a symposium to connect with startups, SMEs, businesses and entrepreneurs of the city,” Stoelinga told the gathering at the launch of the Jet Airways Bengaluru-Amsterdam non-stop flight service.
The Netherlands is the fourth largest source of FDI to India, while India is the fifth largest source of FDI to the Netherlands, with over 200 Indian companies operating in the European nation.
Around 20% of all Indian exports to Europe, which stands at €50 billion, passes through the Netherlands. Also, 25% of Dutch visas are sought by Indians.
Meanwhile, a Jet Airways’ flight to Amsterdam from Bengaluru, which will commence in the wee hours of October 29, will be the third non-stop service between India and the Dutch capital — the other two from Mumbai and Delhi.
“While the new direct service will provide guests a convenient link between Bengaluru and Amsterdam, it will also serve our strategy to connect an increasing number of Indian cities to international gateways via our hubs, enabling guests to travel to Europe and North America,” Jet Airways Chief Executive Officer Vinay Dube said.
The new service will be operated in codeshare with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Air France and Delta Air Lines, with each airline placing its respective codes on the service. Passengers travelling via Amsterdam Airport Schiphol can enioy connectivity and codeshare services between Kempegowda International Airport and 43 European and 21 North American destinations.