Etihad seeks approval to add Indian destinations

Dubai: Etihad Airways, the Abu Dhabi-based national carrier of the UAE, will seek the Indian government's approval to fly to eight more cities in India from its base in Abu Dhabi.
The carrier hopes to start new air service to Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Calicut, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Jaipur and Kolkata, it said in a release.
The announcement follows two days of meetings between chief executive James Hogan and the Indian Minister for Civil Aviation, Praful Patel.
"Liberalisation of aviation markets is bringing multiple benefits for both consumers and regional economies alike and I hope that Etihad Airways will be granted access to the emerging cities of India." Hogan said.
Currently, the nearly four-year-old Etihad is permitted under a bilateral air treaty to operate just 28 flights a week from the UAE to India.
Etihad's existing network includes service to Mumbai, New Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi.
02/09/07 Gulf News, United Arab Emirates

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Categories: Foreign Sep 2007