India not interested in open sky policy

New Delhi: The proposed Asean open sky policy is getting a quiet burial in India. However, foreign airline operators are pitching for it in a big way as the policy gives them access to more cities and frequencies.
Last month, representatives from Singapore Airlines, Thai and Malaysian Airlines were here to push for an open sky policy but the civil aviation minister, Mr Praful Patel, and the DGCA have reportedly turned down the proposal and said the deal is not equitable.
A civil aviation official said the open sky policy was not in the interest of India’s aviation sector.
Asean had urged India to join the open sky policy regime to be launched among Asean nations by 2010, but Mr Praful Patel made it clear during the EU-India aviation summit here in November last year that infrastructure at Indian airports could handle the effects of such an agreement only by 2012. India didn’t sign an agreement and no firm commitment has been made in this direction.
10/05/07 The Statesman

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Categories: Foreign May 2007, General Aviation May 2007