India, EU to sign open skies pact

New Delhi: Air India, Jet Airways, JetLite and the Deccan-Kingfisher combine will soon get more access to European destinations. A liberal aviation pact between India and the European Union is on the cards, which will enable this as well as give EU carriers better access to India.
In a way, the pact will work like an ‘open skies’ agreement between India and the EU.
According to civil aviation ministry sources, Indian carriers will get to operate a virtually unrestricted number of flights to European destinations like London, Paris and Frankfurt. They can also enter into code-share pacts with European carriers without seeking government approval.
On a reciprocal basis, European carriers will also get similar market access in India and be able to ink pacts with Indian counterparts without going through elaborate government clearances.
The proposed horizontal aviation agreement between the two sides provides far more flexibility than the air service arrangements being pursued by India with individual EU members. The liberal aviation pact between the two of the world’s largest trading partners is expected to be signed in September when prime minister Manmohan Singh visits France to participate in the India-EU summit.
Currently, 26 bilateral air services agreements exist between EU members and India.
The horizontal agreement between India and the 26-member EU would also allow people from either side to book an integrated ticket for travelling by different modes of transport such as road, rail, air and sea. It will also ensure technical co-operation between the two sides in areas like aviation safety, security and traffic management.
25/07/08 Nirbhay Kumar/Economic Times

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Categories: Foreign Jul 2008, New Jul 2008