India - Sri Lanka aviation ties mirrors growth in trade

Galle: Bilateral talks starting this week will further broaden economic ties between India and Sri Lanka, while aid volumes to the country was also moving up, an Indian government official told an aid forum here Monday.
The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), on which a round of technical sessions are starting on Tuesday aims to liberalize services between the two countries
External Affairs Additional Secretary Dinesh Kumar Jain says bilateral ties in service sector, civil aviation, shipping and banking have also started to 'mirror' the growth in trade.
About 20 percent of tourists visiting Sri Lanka in 2006 were Indian, making them the single largest source country.
“SriLankan Airlines with 88 weekly flights occupies the number one slot of foreign airlines operating into India, while 28 weekly flights by 3 Indian carriers to Sri Lanka contribute to mutual connectivity” Jain said.
India and Sri Lanka jointly liberalized its air services allowing private airlines during the initial rounds of discussion of CEPA, allowing private Indian carriers to fly to Sri Lanka.
No other operator is yet flying out of Sri Lanka other than the flag carrier SriLankan Airlines.
29/01/07 Lanka Business Online, Sri Lanka

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