India seeks 4 for every additional seat allowed to Dubai airlines

Indian airlines seek to enhance their air access to Dubai by obtaining four seats for every additional seat available to emirate-based airlines, according to The Economic Times.

This request is unprecedented because international trade in the aviation sector is usually based on bilateral agreements and mutual rights between states, according to the newspaper.

Under the bilateral air service agreement signed between the UAE and India in January 2014, airlines in both countries are allowed to operate a total of 66 thousand seats per week between Dubai and 15 Indian cities.

Indian and Emirati airlines, such as Emirates and Fly Dubai, have already exhausted this quota, leaving no room for any increase in flights.

The UAE had asked India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation to increase the number of seats allowed for airlines in Dubai by another 50 thousand.

Emirates urges India to adopt an open skies agreement.

A senior Indian official said that the New Delhi government wished to give better status to Indian airlines on international routes.