Continental Airlines eyes more flights to Asia

MUMBAI, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Continental Airlines Inc (CAL.N) will add more destinations in India and China, tapping their booming economies to boost the carrier's international revenues, a top company official said on Wednesday.

Continental this week launched a non-stop Mumbai-New York service, and will add more Indian cities when it takes delivery of its Boeing (BA.N) 787 jetliners, said James Summerford, vice president of European, Middle East and Indian operations.

"The two places to be in today are China and India," he told reporters at a news conference.

"We will begin operations to Shanghai next year and will add more Indian cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai once we've taken delivery of the 787s," he said.

Continental, the No. 4 U.S. airline, has firm orders for 25 Dreamliners and options for 35 more, and will start taking delivery of the lightweight aircraft from 2009, Summerford said.

U.S. carriers Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) and American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp (AMR.N), also fly to India, where a booming economy is boosting business and leisure travel.

India's top private carrier, Jet Airways Ltd (JET.BO), and state-owned Air India [AI.UL] compete on the U.S. routes, and more Indian carriers are scheduled to launch U.S. services.

"India is a big market and a sustainable First Class business, as well," Summerford said.

Continental, which launched its New Delhi-New York service in 2005, posted strong quarterly earnings in July, and said demand for its transatlantic and other international flights was strong, while pricing in the U.S. market was soft because of competition.