Effect from July 1
KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait's Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a circular to India's state-owned carriers Air India and Indian Airlines indicating that it would not receive their flights at the Kuwait International Airport from July 1st, a senior official at Indian Airlines on condition of anonymity told the Arab Times on Saturday. This comes after Kuwait asked the Indian Civil Aviation Authorities to increase the number of flights to and from India, in line with an air pact signed between both countries. The Indian authorities are reportedly unwilling to give the green light to the Kuwaiti side in a move aimed at safeguarding the interests of Indian airlines and Air India. Travel agents, however, alleged that they were yet to receive any intimation pertaining to DGCA's decision to stop Indian flights. The Indian authorities have so far not taken any step in response to Kuwait's decision to ban Indian flights and a decision in this regard is expected to be taken in the next few days, a well-informed source at Kuwait Airways informed the Arab Times.
"We are in touch with our head office in Delhi. On a daily basis, about a hundred passengers of Indian Airlines alone will be displaced if DGCA goes ahead with its decision," added the Indian Airlines official. The official said that he was hopeful that the ongoing talks between Kuwait and India in New Delhi would reach a favorable agreement. As a precautionary measure, the official said, Indian airlines was in talks with other airlines to make alternate arrangements if the two sides fail to hammer out a deal. He observed that passengers wishing to cancel their bookings with Indian airlines can do so without paying any cancellation fees thereby making their own arrangements. "As of now, there is no panic among the passengers and we are undertaking bookings for the month of July and beyond."
Talks between Kuwait and India hit a roadblock early June while both sides are currently holding the second round of talks. Air India operates 4 weekly flights to Bombay while Indian Airlines operates three weekly flights to South Indian destinations. Talking about Kuwait Airways and Jazeera, both airlines operate daily flights to Mumbai and also weekly flights to other South Indian destinations. Jazeera operates almost all of its flights to India via Dubai, which it has made its hub since the last few months. An official at Air India, meanwhile, said that the airline was hopeful that negotiations between the two sides would yield positive results soon. "Saturday and Sunday being holiday in India, we will not hear anything from the authorities there. We will know the outcome of the talks by Tuesday and till then we are not in a situation to make any comment."
Asked whether the airline had made any alternate arrangements assuming the talks fail, he said the airline was exploring all possibilities and would make an announcement at an opportune time. Travel agents said that bookings of Indian Airlines and Air India had not plunged. Travel agents are of the belief that all issues surrounding the problem would be sorted out in an amicable manner. "It is impossible to stop flights at the eleventh hour and had there been any such measure, then the concerned airlines would have informed passengers in advance or made alternate arrangements." They said that passengers who have bookings with the two airlines have not expressed any concern over the latest developments. "We got some inquiries from other airlines expressing their willingness to accommodate our passengers if talks fail between the two sides," said a travel agent.
Meanwhile, it was earlier reported that Kuwait had threatened to stop all flights to India from 1 July, alleging that New Delhi was going back on commitments in the air bilateral agreement between both countries. The report further said that Kuwait's first private budget airline, Jazeera Airways, reportedly wants to operate most of its flights via Dubai as per the fifth freedom intermediate rights guaranteed in the agreement. This right allows a carrier to pick up traffic to, and from, a third country. Already, 10 of Jazeera's 13 flights, to and from India, are routed via Dubai, its second hub after Kuwait City. This in turn threatens the market for Indian Airlines and Air India. According to reports, Kuwait is calling for a 50 per cent hike in Jazeera's flights to, and from, India, even as the civil aviation ministry has not given a green light to the proposal yet.
By Francis A. Clifford Cardozo
© Arab Times 2007
