Indian government considers reviewing bilateral air services agreements, airlines cautiously optimistic

Indian government considers reviewing bilateral air services agreements, airlines cautiously optimistic

In the last couple of years, India has hardly exchanged any fresh ASAs. Yet, the Indian government is keen to revise some ASAs which it believes are heavily skewed in favour of airlines from some other countries. The decision that has generally been welcomed by the global airline industry. 



October 14, 2021 / 02:26 PM IST





Representative image of a Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 (Image: Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach)



The government is considering reviewing bilateral air services agreements, or ASAs, that India has signed with various countries, a move that has been welcomed by global airline executives while raising a degree of concern.

Globally, airlines are allowed to fly only after countries exchange ASAs with each other.  These agreements can specify the number of seats per week in each direction or the number of flights per week in each direction and also the cities to which a designated airline can fly.

Depending on the demand and individual needs of each side, the carrying capacity to each city can be defined.

Airlines in India can request the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to increase flights to a particular country. MoCA sends the request to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), which forwards it to the Indian