India proposes South Asian open skies deal

[Abbas Ali]

DHAKA (AFP) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh proposed a South Asian open skies agreement that would remove restrictions on flights operated by state-owned and private airlines from seven countries.

India was ready to offer the open skies facility on a reciprocal basis, Singh told the inaugural session of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit in the Bangladeshi capital.

India, which now has such an arrangement only with Sri Lanka, said designated airlines from other member countries would be able to fly daily to New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kolkata.

They would also be allowed to operate unlimited flights to 18 other destinations across India, he said.

Open skies deals have boosted aviation elsewhere, say proponents. All 10 members of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations enjoy a similar arrangement which has helped fuel a boom in airline services.

The two-day SAARC summit in Dhaka aims to boost trade and cooperation among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Source: Yahoo News