Emirates, the largest airline in the Middle East and one of the largest foreign carriers on the international air travel market to and from India, has for the past 10 years been trying to increase flight operations from India. With Emirates holding about 10% stake of the total market, it is a hard fact that the airline has been restricted by India to operate only 65,000 seats to Dubai under the bilateral agreement between India and the United Arab Emirates.

Addressing the concern, Emirates president Sir Tim Clark has requested the Indian government to open up to global air carriers to meet the demands of the growing Indian community in the UAE. “The impact of the Indian diaspora on the world economy is getting bigger. You need air transport. You need big aircraft. You need to move people,” Clark said.

Emirates operates flights to nine major cities in India. Launching direct flights to tier-2 and tier-3 cities of India are also on the cards. Hence, it is only appropriate that the Indian government reassess its aero political policies and in turn resolve any issues at the inter-governmental level.

“It is in the hands of the Indian government. We have had 65,000 seats in each direction since 2015. That was nine years ago. …You are telling me that the Indian market has not grown internally internationally in nine years particularly between India-Dubai market? The Indian community here [Dubai] is huge, and in the UAE, it grows all the time. It needs air services,” expressed Clark.

The latest data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) pins the total international traffic to and from India for October-December at 17.3 million passengers. – editor@nrifocus.com