New Delhi: After nearly a year of demanding India revise its decade-old air services pact with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the country’s Ambassador to India Ahmed Abdul Rahman AlBanna on Monday said he expected talks to start within the next two months.
This will allow an increase in the number of flights between the two countries, which stand at 1,068 a week, with around 400 flights by UAE carriers and rest by Indian ones.
Emirates and Etihad Airways have over the past year continued to lobby India to allow them more flight slots, which won’t be possible until the 2007 pact is revised.
Back in October last year, the government had decided not to allow this after domestic carriers objected, saying their international plans would be hit. But with the sudden grounding of Jet Airways, India’s second-largest carrier, airlines from UAE, along with those from Singapore, Qatar, and China, have restarted lobbying for more fight slots.
“I’ve met Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and communicated the serious demand of UAE-based carriers to expand the pact, as we have spare capacity and are willing to grow. Both sides will meet very soon and revisit the agreement as well as the four sectoral agreements that are part of the main pact,” said AlBanna.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a roadshow showcasing Dubai Startup Hub. Emirati airlines have significant capacities in cargo, and lack of a revised pact hampers growth in cargo shipments as well, he hinted.
Currently, under the main pact, four sectoral agreements covering flights to and from the four major cities of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Ras al Khaimah in the Emirates, also remain active. Currently, 168,000 seats are shared by airlines from both nations in a week. But sources in the know said Emirati airlines would not settle for anything less than an additional 50,000 seats on the Dubai route and 15,000 seats on the Sharjah route.
25/06/19 Subhayan Chakraborty/Business Standard
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This will allow an increase in the number of flights between the two countries, which stand at 1,068 a week, with around 400 flights by UAE carriers and rest by Indian ones.
Emirates and Etihad Airways have over the past year continued to lobby India to allow them more flight slots, which won’t be possible until the 2007 pact is revised.
Back in October last year, the government had decided not to allow this after domestic carriers objected, saying their international plans would be hit. But with the sudden grounding of Jet Airways, India’s second-largest carrier, airlines from UAE, along with those from Singapore, Qatar, and China, have restarted lobbying for more fight slots.
“I’ve met Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and communicated the serious demand of UAE-based carriers to expand the pact, as we have spare capacity and are willing to grow. Both sides will meet very soon and revisit the agreement as well as the four sectoral agreements that are part of the main pact,” said AlBanna.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a roadshow showcasing Dubai Startup Hub. Emirati airlines have significant capacities in cargo, and lack of a revised pact hampers growth in cargo shipments as well, he hinted.
Currently, under the main pact, four sectoral agreements covering flights to and from the four major cities of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and Ras al Khaimah in the Emirates, also remain active. Currently, 168,000 seats are shared by airlines from both nations in a week. But sources in the know said Emirati airlines would not settle for anything less than an additional 50,000 seats on the Dubai route and 15,000 seats on the Sharjah route.
25/06/19 Subhayan Chakraborty/Business Standard
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