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Pak PM sets terms to allow Indian
private airlines
London:
Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said
that he was ready to allow Indian private airlines
fly into his country, but it would happen only after
New Delhi gives satisfactory reply to his three suggestions
namely - opening of banks in each other's country,
increase of air flights and Srinagar-Muzaffarabad
bus service, and the gas pipeline project. Aziz said
that he expected to elicit New Delhi's response on
the above three suggestions, which he had also mentioned
during his last visit to India, when he meets his
Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh during the SAARC
Summit in Dhaka next month. According to The News,
Aziz said this in Davos where he has gone to attend
the World Economic Forum. Speaking at a breakfast
meeting with international media, he said that his
government was keen to resolve all the outstanding
issues with India in tandem with the question of Jammu
and Kashmir.
- Jan 31, 2005
Mumbai
airport to get bigger runway (Go
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Mumbai:
The demolition drive in Mumbai does not seem to
be coming to an end. After demolishing several high-
profile buildings, BMC is now eyeing slums next to
the airport land. The slums, next to the airport land
might be demolished as early as next week. The government
has issued notices to the authorities to prepare a
schedule for demolition as soon as next week. It was
two years back that the government decided to clear
the slums of Rafique Nager to make way for a bigger
runway. Nearly 1,800 alternate homes were given to
those slum dwellers who moved here before 1995, the
cut-off date for alternative housing under the rehabilitation
scheme. The airport authority has to pay Rs 16 crore
to provide alternative accommodation for encroachers
on its own land. But as time passed away and the government
did not took proper measures, new hutments came up
on the land, which will be cleared by the authorities
now. A staggering total of nearly 1 lakh people live
in the slums surrounding the Mumbai airport, and most
of them claim to have a right to alternative government
housing.
- Jan 22, 2005
India,
US renew their agreements on aviation sector (Go
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by Priscilla Huff
Washington:
India and US have renewed their agreements in
the aviation sector, giving a boost to the trade relationship
between the two countries. Civil Aviation Minister
Praful Patel signed the updated agreements with US
Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta in Washington
DC. "And so the time has come where we must renew
this agreement according to the needs of the hour,
and as you rightly pointed out, it would be the relationship
between the United States and India, growing stronger
and stronger with the trade and commerce and tourism
increasing by a great degree between these two countries.
It is but natural that we have a new agreement on
air transport at the earliest," Patel said. India
and the US have been using an agreement on aviation
relations that dates back to 1956. Currently, about
two million people travel between the United States
and India each year. Much of that traffic and business
goes to third parties, such as European or Middle
Eastern carriers. Mineta said that an "open sky" agreement
would enable the two countries to expand cargo services.
"And I would welcome seeing non-stop service commenced
between our two countries. Now, while air cargo between
the United States and India is also experiencing strong
growth, an "open skies" agreement would enable an
even greater expansion of cargo services. Above all,
we need to create the conditions to allow our airlines
to provide consumers with more options and better
prices," he said.
The
US has an "open skies" agreements with 66 countries,
having inked about a dozen of them during the Bush
administration. The US "open skies" agreements permit
unrestricted service by the airlines from each nation,
without restriction on destinations, schedule, or
prices. "Open skies" agreements are intended towards
making business in the aviation sector much easier.
However, several US carriers are in serious economic
trouble, with some analysts predicting US Airways
to go out of business, even as Delta, United and American
struggle with a price war and labour costs. Patel
said more investment in the aviation sector would
bring more business for both the countries. "We do
appreciate the fact that aviation infrastructure will
be the engine for growth for aviation in India. And
with this large investment in aviation expected in
the years to come, it would be the fitness of things
where the United States and India can work closely
in a variety of areas," he said. Patel said that aviation
investment had been a top priority of the new Congress-led
government. "India's aviation investment in terms
of aircraft acquisition would be of a very high proportion
because, we have in the recent past, opened up the
sector for private players also. It has been unshackled,
it has been very highly restricted until just a few
months ago," he said. Patel
also discussed with Mineta how many airports in India
are already preparing for major renovations and predicted
that Indian carriers would be purchasing 200-250 planes,
probably part of it from US manufacturer Boeing in
the next three to five years.
Meanwhile, Mineta called for more revenue opportunities
for the American airlines. "Well, I wouldn't characterize
it as banging down our doors but when you look at
the financial condition of our airlines, they are
looking for increased revenue opportunities. And not
only are revenue opportunities more attractive in
the international marketplace, the margins in terms
of what they make from their international operations
is much greater than from their domestic," said Mineta.
Under the new agreement there will be no restrictions
on the frequency, destinations and aircraft, carriers
can fly. At present, only Air India flies direct flights
to and from New York and Chicago.
-Jan 14, 2005
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