The Hindu Business Line : Cabinet clears new proposal on bilateral air services

IN an effort to draw up a rational policy framework for negotiating air services bilateral agreements, the Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to allow an airline not operating a daily flight or wishing to start air services here, to operate 14 flights a week to any two of the 12 international airports.

"The decision should encourage countries to operate daily flights to India. However, the decision is on a reciprocal basis and will also allow Indian carriers similar rights," the Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy, said.

Officials clarified that the latest decision of the Cabinet is country and not airline-specific. The request of airlines already having a substantial presence to increase flights to India will be taken up on a case-to-case basis, the Minister said. About 12 to 14 airlines already operating flights to India will not be covered under the new proposal that has been cleared by the Cabinet, officials said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation will shortly come up with a "mechanism" on how to apportion the unutilised existing bilateral rights between the airlines of India for operating to the six countries that are members of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC). "We hope to have the policy framework for deciding which airlines will be allowed to which SAARC country within a week," the Secretary, Civil Aviation, Mr K. Roy Paul, added. While Indian Airlines operates 30 flights a week to the region, airlines from SAARC operate 88 flights a week to India, officials said.

Officials added that no commercial agreement would be required for airlines to operate to Sri Lanka, a move that is to lead to a loss of Rs 14 crore for IA.

The Cabinet, at its meeting on Wednesday, had given the green signal for the three private sector scheduled airlines to start flying to the six SAARC countries - Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Besides, the Cabinet also granted the right to the airlines from Sri Lanka to pick up passengers from India and carry them to other SAARC destinations.

Officials clarified that the Cabinet decision to allow the designated airlines of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) to operate a daily flight to the four metro cities and flights to 18 others tourist destination is on a reciprocal basis.

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