Single ticket soon to fly between South Asian nations

Soon, you may be able to fly from Kathmandu to Delhi and then move on to Shimla by road or rail on the same ticket.

Such seamless travel will be possible not only between Kathmandu and India but between all the eight South Asian countries. The Indian Government is working to enhance the existing air services agreements (ASA) with other South Asian countries.

Official sources confirmed to Business Line that India was working to enhance ASA to include intermodal connectivity and cooperative marketing apart from safety and security. What this would mean is that a single ticket can be used to fly between two countries and also travel by road or rail. ASA agreements control the number of flights that an airline can operate between countries.

The conclusion of the agreements will benefit those living in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Bangladesh, apart from India.

“The idea is to have intermodal seamless transfers between the South Asian nations. It is possible. Delhi, for instance, has an excellent airport which is also connected with a rail and bus station. So, why can't we look at having intermodal transportation?” a senior Government official said. The Government is also keen to encourage code-share agreements between various carriers to promote such seamless transfers.

Incidentally, India has already signed such an agreement with the European Union which allows a passenger to fly from India to an international airport in Europe and then take a train or bus to his final destination on the same ticket.

Attempts are now being made to replicate the same thing within the region. Last December, leaders at the SAARC summit called for collaborative efforts to achieve greater intra-regional connectivity and endorsed the recommendation to declare 2010-2020 as the “Decade of Intra-regional Connectivity in SAARC”.

Reiterating the centrality of connectivity to further deepening and consolidating regional integration, leaders of the SAARC countries mandated the Chair to convene an inter-Governmental meeting to recommend specific measures to enhance multi-modal connectivity including air, sea and surface.