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India,
Afghanistan decide to resume direct flights
New
Delhi: India and Afghanistan have decided to resume
their direct air services from Mach this year. After
meeting the visiting Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai,
Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told reporters
in the Capital that two direct flights would begin
from March 31. "For the resumption of air services
between India and Afghanistan, on March 31, Delhi-Kabul
and Amritsar-Kabul, two direct flights will begin.
Apart from that they have also sought assistance in
the aviation sector from India, we will extend all
possible help," Patel said. Bilateral ties between
New Delhi and Kabul have been restored since the ouster
of the Taliban regime in late 2001. Afghanistan had
cancelled international flights to Europe and other
Asian countries when the Taliban took over and sacked
the airline's top management.
- Feb 24,
2005
India,
France sign new air services pact (Go
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New
Delhi: The Indian and French Governments signed
new Air Services Agreements on February 23, in Paris,
modifying the existing agreements between the two
countries. According to the new agreement, both sides
will have 35 flights per week into each other's country.
Bangalore and Hyderabad have been designated as additional
points of call to France adding to the earlier four
points of call - Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.
According to a press release, the Air Traffic Agreement
has been amended to provide for multiple designation
of airlines. The French Government has allowed 5th
Freedom Traffic Rights to India beyond France to New
York and any four more points in the USA, and to Toronto
and Montreal in Canada. The French government has
agreed to assist Air India to get additional slots
and terminals at the 'Charles-de-Gaule' Airport in
Paris. The Indian delegation to France was led by
Ajai Prasad, Secretary, Civil Aviation. Those present
in the delegation were the Director General for Civil
Aviation, Satinder Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry
of Civil Aviation Raghu Menon and the CMD, Air India,
V. Thulasidas.
- Feb 24, 2005
India,
Afghanistan sign accord on civil aviation (Go
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New
Delhi: India and Afghanistan today entered into
a new era of bilateral ties when they signed two accords
on enhancing cooperation in civil aviation and media
and information. Through this accord, New Delhi once
again renewed its commitment to assist in the rebuilding
of the war-ravaged country. The accord was signed
in presence of the visiting Afghan President Hamid
Karzai and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here. Before
signing the accord, the two leaders held wide-ranging
discussions on important bilateral, regional and international
issues of mutual concern. The understanding on civil
aviation was signed by Civil Aviation minister Praful
Patel and Afghan Transport Minister Enayatullah Qasemi.
It aims at building capacity and strengthening institutional
structure of Afghanistan's civil aviation sector.
The
understanding will include training in areas of airport
management, air traffic control, navigational aids
etc, including safety and maintenance of aircraft.
India has already gifted three airbus with essential
spare parts to the Ariana Afghan Airlines at a cost
of 13.7 million US dollars. The first two aircraft
were handed over in September and December, 2002 and
the third aircraft in March, 2003. Air India has also
trained over 50 officials of Ariana Afghan Airlines.
Hamid Karzai, the Afghan President, reached India
on Wednesday on a three-day visit to India for talks
with leaders to further boost the bilateral ties.
The visit of the Afghan President comes close to the
trip to Kabul by External Affairs Minister K Natwar
Singh recently. Karzai is accompanied by a high-power
delegation comprising 11 cabinet ministers, including
Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah. It is expected
that developments in the region covering Indo-Pak
relations, the Iraq situation and other issues of
mutual interest will figure during the parleys. Karzai
had said in Kabul last week that that though his country
received assistance from many countries, the "best
assistance came from India." This is the third visit
of the Afghan President to India. He is expected to
seek help from India in terms of more opportunities
for Afghan students, training for its diplomats and
help in setting up institutions from parliament to
banking to even teaching of English besides continuation
of existing links. India has committed over 400 million
dollars assistance to Afghanistan since 2002 and has
since been helping it in areas as diverse from infrastructure
to education and public health to social welfare.
India has gifted 285 vehicles to the largely US-trained
Afghan National Army. Another 15 ambulances are to
be handed over soon.
- Feb 24, 2005
Kingfisher
signs agreement for three Airbus planes (Go
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New
Delhi: The UB Group on Saturday said that it has
signed a contract for purchasing three Airbus A-319
aircrafts. UB Group's Kingfisher Airlines is scheduled
to launch its operations in May and has already placed
orders for a total of 33 aircraft from the Airbus
Industrie, including ten A-320s and three A-319s.
Kingfisher Airlines Chief Vijay Mallya while announcing
the deal to acquire three A-319s, said that the 144-seater
aircrafts would "complement the capabilities of the
fleet and serve the needs of traffic on routes of
Bangalore where these aircraft will be based". Kingfisher
Airlines has in addition to these, also leased four
brand new A-320-200 aircraft from Debis Air Finance,
the leasing company of Daimler Chrysler. An airline
spokesman said it would provide services and amenities,
which would be "the first of its kind in the domestic
aviation market in the country," including personal
video screens on every seat, greatest width and more
legroom and assigned seating through advance internet
reservations.
- Feb 19, 2005
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