The Hindu Business Line : Jet, Sahara to operate flights to Lanka soon

THE initial steps towards allowing the private sector schedule airlines into the international skies have been initiated. Sources told Business Line that Jet Airways and Air Sahara have been asked to file their schedules and fares for operating to Colombo with both the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Sources indicated that while Jet Airways has been allowed to operate 28 weekly flights to Colombo, Air Sahara has been given permission to operate 21 weekly flights to Sri Lanka.

Jet plans to operate a daily service to Colombo from Chennai and offer a five-times-a-week connection to the Sri Lankan Capital from Mumbai and Bangalore.

Air Sahara plan to launch a daily service from Mumbai and Chennai apart from offering connections from different parts of the country.

The private sector scheduled airlines are expected to start operations to Colombo within three weeks of the schedules being submitted. Sources indicated that this much time was required to put the flight into the booking systems and start bookings.

The decision to "encourage" the private sector domestic airlines to operate to Sri Lanka was announced in the joint communiqué issued at the conclusion of the visit of the Sri Lankan Prime Minister to India in October 2003. The move got the nod of the Union Cabinet in January this year.