The Hindu : Business : Foreign carriers can fly bigger planes: Patel

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 21, 2005

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Business

Foreign carriers can fly bigger planes: Patel

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Foreign airlines operating to India will be allowed to mount unrestricted number of additional flights and operate larger aircraft in December-January under the "open sky" policy this year, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Praful Patel, said here on Thursday.

However, during the rest of the five-month period between November and March, these carriers would only be allowed to operate bigger aircraft to carry more passengers, he told reporters. Due to "substantial increase" in air traffic rights following the upgrading of bilateral agreements with several countries in the recent past, the "open sky" policy was being partially implemented, barring in December and January when it would be "absolute," he added.

Mr. Patel indicated that most number of additional flights during November-March would be on the India-Gulf sector, many emanating from Kerala.

Asked to comment on IATA chief Giovani Bisignani's statement that an "emergency" situation existed in Delhi and Mumbai airports in terms of heavy air traffic, he said that short-term measures were being taken to deal with it, including construction of linking taxi ways, use of both runways at the two airports, training of air traffic controllers and pilots and enhance the number of take-offs and landings.

On Air India's fleet acquisition plan which was approved by the Public Investment Board (PIB) last week, Mr. Patel said he had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking his opinion if the Air India-Boeing deal should follow the same route taken by the Indian Airlines-Airbus Industrie deal by having an empowered Group of Ministers to conduct the final round of price negotiations with the U.S.-based aircraft manufacturer.

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