DUBAI: India and UAE are working on a new agreement and policy for the bilateral air services by virtue of that agreement travel between the both countries may become more affordable and accessible.
As the Indian tourists in Dubai and Abu Dhabi reaches record numbers, both the counties are looking to negotiate new quotas between air carriers as capacity is now running at 100 per cent of the approximately 130,000 seats allowed per week, said a report.
Dr. Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al-Banna, UAE Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to India, has held extensive discussions with India’s Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha, on augmenting air transport facilities and services between the two countries.
The Ambassador said: “The UAE is willing to add few more flights and routes to connect regional airports in India to those in the UAE that will lead to affordable prices with the required capacity and also needs to focus on an open sky policy that raises the potential for enhancing UAE – India ties.”
Talks in this regard will be held on October 3 and 4.A clause in the existing Air Services Agreement mandates that when capacity on routes between UAE and India reaches 80 per cent, new quotas to be shared between air carriers in both countries should be re-negotiated, the report said.
Indian carriers are reluctant to negotiate new quotas because they can hike up ticket prices if demand outstrips supply and no new agreement is in place whereas airlines in the UAE want to increase capacity to enable more passengers to fly to destinations in the UAE and connect with other airports in the Gulf and beyond at affordable and reasonable prices.
