Japan, India agree to double flight services by 2010
20 Jun 2008
Tokyo: In a significant breakthrough, Japan and India have agreed to double the weekly number of round-trip flight services between the two countries in 2010. Under the agreement, the number of flights will double from 21 to 42 flights a week from March 2010, Indian aviation and Japanese transport ministry officials said on Thursday. The number of destinations covered will double to eight in Japan and six in India.
Japan Airlines will likely open a route between Japan's congested Tokyo-Narita and Mumbai, as well as another one between Narita and Chennai. All Nippon Airways will likely start flights between Narita and Delhi, according to reports.
Narita International Airport is slated to expand the number of departure and arrival slots in 2010.
Currently, Indian carriers hold just eight slots at Narita airport, sufficient for four flights a week. Air India is operating all the four flights. Japanese authorities have assured the Indian delegation that they shall make a sincere endeavour to allot 28 additional slots at the Narita or Haneda airport in a phased manner to enable Indian carriers to operate an additional 14 services to Tokyo.
Japanese carriers will be entitled to operate 14 services each on Tokyo-Delhi and Tokyo-Mumbai route in 2010, up from the current level of seven services each.
The new arrangements are expected to provide a significant boost in traffic on the direct Indian-Japan route. Currently, a large amount of traffic on the route goes through intermediate destinations.
With the addition in capacity, the fares are likely to become more passenger friendly.
The Indian delegation was led by RK Singh, joint secretary, ministry of civil aviation, while the Japanese delegation was led by Ryuhei Maeda, dy. director general, Civil Aviation Bureau.
