New Delhi: Months after it withdrew from its first international hub at Frankfurt, an Air India team is likely to visit Ireland soon to study the possibility of creating an operational base at the Dublin airport.
“Air India was initially looking at about seven airports to establish its international hub. Later they came down to two and Dublin is one of them,” Irish minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar said in the Indian capital.
A team from Air India would be visiting Ireland in the “next six to eight weeks”, he said. Air India had earlier initiated hub operations at Frankfurt but withdrew in 2010 after facing a severe financial crunch.
“We are also looking at establishing direct air links between India, probably Delhi, and Dublin. Discussions are going on with the Government of India,” Varadkar, who met Civil Aviation minister Vayalar Ravi, said.
Talks were “progressing reasonably well” on a bilateral Air Services Agreement (ASA), which could be finalised and signed “very soon”, he said. Fifth freedom rights, which allow an airline to pick up and fly passengers from one foreign destination to another, were also on agenda.
Besides Air India, the Irish authorities are also holding talks with private Indian carriers to have Dublin as their international hub, he said.
17/03/11 PTI/Live Mint
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