India to clarify flight pact with Malaysia, says report

23 May 2007

1
New Delhi: Indian civil aviation ministry officials are reported to be ready to hold discussions with Malaysia to clarify the frequency of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flights to Indian cities. A report from Bernama, the Malaysian news agency, quoting an Indian official, says that India has not imposed any ban on MAS flights, as reported, but was unhappy with Malaysia over its decision not to give landing rights to two of its carriers.

The agency said that the official did not wish to be named.

"There was some misunderstanding. We did not issue any ban but we did ask why the two airlines were not allowed to land in Malaysia under the Asean agreement," Bernama quoted a 'senior director' from the ministry as saying. It also said that the 'director' declined to be named.

Last week, Indian newspapers had reported that the India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation had issued a ban warning to MAS in a retaliatory move against that country's decision not to allow Air Sahara and Air India subsidiary, Indian Express, to fly to Kuala Lumpur. India had nominated the two carriers to operate the Malaysian route and Air Sahara was planning to begin its Delhi-Kuala Lumpur operations last March.

According to Bernama, the official also said that India's civil aviation ministry was ready to discuss the matter and was in the process of preparing a letter for the Malaysian authorities, though he was unable to state when such a meeting would take place.

The Bernama report says that India's move has shocked airlines and tourism industry observers in Malaysia, who fear that such a ban or even the idea to limit number of flights from Kuala Lumpur to Delhi would prove to be a massive setback for the booming Malaysian tourism sector which, it says, attracted about 280,000 Indian visitors last year.

MAS flies 27 times to major Indian cities every week even as Indian Airlines, Air India and Jet Airways combined have a total of 56 flights to Malaysia.

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