More Flights to India with Indian Carriers Soon

Travellers booking flights to India may soon be able to savour more of Indian hospitality in the skies as the authorities seek to encourage country’s domestic carriers to operate more flights to India.

Travellers booking flights to India may soon be able to experience more of Indian hospitality in the skies.

Sources reveal that the Ministry of Civil Aviation in India has asked all domestic aviation companies of the country to submit their plans for operating overseas flights till March 2014.

The move is driven by the idea of curbing international airlines from operating more number of flights to India than the country’s own domestic carriers.

“If foreign airlines keep operating more and more flights into India then what chance do Indian carriers have to grow and become big players in the international arena?”, a senior official echoed the sentiment doing rounds in the administrative quarters.

Presently, Air India, Jet Airways, IndiGo and SpiceJet have permission to operate overseas flights from India.

In contrast to foreign carriers operating 1,356 weekly flights to India, Indian players offer less than 1,000 global services.

While the new decision might bring big smiles to aviation companies of the country, foreign carriers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman that were hoping to enhance their flight network in the country might not be pleased.

It is agreed that while global agreements cannot be subsided, measures can be taken to make sure that Indian airlines are not at a loss in comparison to international operators.

It has also been observed that some decisions have not only adversely affected Indian carriers but also put into hot weathers the chances of Indian airports becoming global hubs. This happens because international operators take flyers from the interiors of the country to their own hubs and then connect them to other parts of the globe.