Jet Airways (India) Ltd., the country’s biggest domestic carrier, has said it is in talks to start a cargo airline. “We will make an announcement before the end of 2007,” Naresh Goyal, billionaire chairman of Jet Airways, told Indian media recently. “We are talking to very, very serious partners on starting a cargo airline,” he said.

The Indian government, meanwhile, has granted Jet Airways the right to fl y to a number of Gulf destinations from Jan. 1, ending a three-year prohibition against private Indian carriers operating to the region.

The Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation said Jet can fl y to Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain and its request to fl y to Dubai and Abu Dhabi is under consideration. Jet intends to serve the Gulf from New Delhi, Mumbai and Kerala. At present, only state-controlled airlines can operate on any of the routes.

Jet said it is on track with its expansion program in which it will take delivery of 28 new aircraft, including 10 777s and eight A330s, by the end of its current fi nancial year ending March 31.

It will launch its third route from India to North America via Brussels, daily Chennai-New York JFK service aboard 777s. It currently operates to Toronto and Newark.

Later this year, new Mumbai-Johannesburg service will launch and current Asian routes will be upgraded to A330s. Long-haul destinations scheduled to be added to the network next year include Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Shanghai and Nairobi.