Indian carriers have been granted fifth-freedom rights to extend their UK services to the USA following the signing of a new bilateral air services agreement between India and the UK. New Delhi also negotiated bilateral deals with Austria and Uzbekistan earlier this month.
Indian carriers, which are permitted to operate 16 weekly flights on India-UK routes, will be able to carry passengers and freight from the UK to North America. Several of Air India's Heathrow flights already operate to North America, but without being allowed to pick up passengers.
Air India operates 10 flights a week to the UK, with three of its six unused weekly frequencies to be operated by Virgin Atlantic Airlines by July following an agreement signed in December.
The new bilateral also removes the limit on services operated by UK carriers to the southern Indian city of Chennai (formerly known as Madras). UK carriers were limited to four of the 16 weekly flights to Chennai.
In addition, UK operators will be able to terminate all of their 16 Indian services locally. Before, five of these had to go on to Dhaka in Bangladesh.
The agreement also requires British Airways and Virgin Atlantic to assist Air India in slot negotiations at Heathrow.
Meanwhile, following the first bilateral air services agreement between India and Austria, Air India and Austrian Airlines will operate four weekly flights between the two countries in the summer schedule and up to five weekly flights in the winter schedule. The two carriers are at present limited to three weekly flights each.
In addition, Uzbek Airways has been permitted to use the unused entitlement of Indian carriers under a codeshare agreement. Uzbek is also granted rights to serve Amritsar, in northern India, and Trivandrum in the south of the country, with three frequencies a week.
In return, Indian carriers are allowed to operate to Samarkant and Bukharh in Uzbekistan.
Source: Flight International
