The Hindu : Nod for daily flight services to ASEAN countries

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 11, 2003

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Nod for daily flight services to ASEAN countries

New Delhi Dec. 10. The Union Cabinet tonight approved operation of daily services to ASEAN countries from the four metro cities in India and vice versa.

Disclosing this after a Cabinet meeting, the Civil Aviation Minister, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, said the services would be on a reciprocal basis and on the existing commercial agreements between the airlines of the ASEAN countries and Indian Airlines and Air India.

Mr. Rudy said daily services to and from Sri Lanka would be permitted to six metros — Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad — apart from the 18 tourist destinations which have been proposed.

``There shall be no commercial agreement as far as our flights on reciprocal basis to Sri Lanka are concerned.''

The Sri Lankan carrier will also have the ``fifth freedom right to the SAARC countries including Pakistan,'' he said.

The fifth freedom right implies that the Sri Lankan carrier would be allowed to pick up traffic from India for further travel to any of the SAARC countries.

PTI

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