Civil Aviation Secretary Rajeev Bansal on Tuesday said the government has no plans to give additional bilateral rights to West Asian airlines.
To enable an airline to operate international flights from one country to another, both countries must negotiate and sign a bilateral air services agreement. The agreement sets the number of flights or seats that are allowed to operate between the two countries per week.
Other West Asian carriers, including Emirates Airline and Jazeera Airways, have requested the government to extend bilateral rights to strengthen their operational reach.
However, Indian airlines have opposed the extension of these air service agreements, as a large number of passengers traveling from India to North America and Europe currently use airlines from the Gulf countries. Indian airlines like Air India are currently buying widebody aircraft to operate direct flights to these two continents.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the CAPA India Aviation Summit 2023, Bansal said, ‘We are associated with the open sky policy of 5,000 km with all countries. We are seeing Vietnam becoming the new hub. Vietnam and Indonesia are demanding more frequencies. ‘India is a major market for West Asian airlines.
