The Hindu Business Line : Eager foreign airlines take up `open-sky' offer

THE Government's decision to offer a limited `open-sky' policy to foreign airlines till the end of March this year has been a runaway success both for the airlines and passengers.

Official sources told Business Line that between November and February, foreign airlines have offered more than 2,20,000 extra air seats, an increase of more than 320 per cent over what was offered during the `open-sky' period in 2002-03.

In an effort to ensure that passengers do not face a problem in travelling to and from India, the Government has been following a limited `open-sky' policy. Under the policy, foreign airlines are allowed to operate either additional flights or bring in a bigger aircraft than what they usually operate to India.

Sources point to the fact that despite the huge increase in air seats being made available, some international airlines have been forced to offload passengers.

Probably, realising the huge demand for air seats in the market, the Government on February 17 wrote to all international airlines informing them of the decision to extend the limited open-sky policy till March 31.

The Government had earlier said the limited open-sky period would run till the end of February and in a departure from the past extended the offer to airlines in the Gulf region also.

"The unsatisfied demand in the market is being met through the limited open-sky offer. The response to the offer would have easily been double of what is being noticed at present if international airlines had been given more time to market the flights," senior Government officials said.

Interestingly, a host of international airlines, including some having daily services to Mumbai and Delhi, have raised this issue while declining to take up the offer. Several major airlines have all along argued that the Government should notify such decisions at least a few months in advance so that they could look at the worldwide demand before taking a final view on the issue.

But despite such protestations, a host of international airlines, including the German airline, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airways, Srilankan airlines, Kuwait Airways have taken up the Government offer.