B747-437B From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Posted (9 years 5 months 3 weeks 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 1323 times:
In a move that surprised industry observers, India and Pakistan reached agreement on all issues raised during the first day of bilateral aviation talks being held in New Delhi on Monday.
The Indian delegation was led by Satinder Singh - Director General of Civil Aviation and the Pakistani delegation by Mohammad Ashraf Chaudhry - Additional Secretary, Ministry of Defence.
Among the major issues agreed upon were :
* Reinstatement of unrestricted first freedom overflight rights for all aircraft registered in the other country.
* Reinstatement of second freedom rights in case of operational need.
* Liberalization of capacity restrictions for third and fourth freedom traffic between the two countries upto a maximum guage of Boeing 747s.
* Tentative permission for Pakistani carriers to operate services to Chennai subject to application and approval.
* Agreement for further talks to renegotiate the India-Pakistan Air Services Agreement to permit additional designated carriers (including private carriers) into the market.
All the above agreements will go into place from 0031 hrs IST (0001 hrs PST) on January 1, 2004.
Pursuant to this, both Indian Airlines and Pakistan International Airlines will reinstate services on the Karachi-Mumbai and Lahore-Delhi routes effective from that date. Air India will also reroute its westbound services to again utilize Pakistani airspace.
Airmale From Botswana, joined Sep 2004, 368 posts, RR: 2 Reply 1, posted (9 years 5 months 3 weeks 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 1306 times:
Chennai, 747s and the privates are something I have been thinking of too, maybe he read my mind, I also would like it if foreign airlines were allowed to compete like in the past, Air France, Pan Am, Malaysia Airlines, Iraqi Airways did so.
Indian airlines would most probably get to fly to Peshawar if PIA gets Chennai permission, theres also news of reopening a border crossing at Sindh-Rajastan.
Anyways its always good to hear of positive developmenst between the two.
Behramjee From Canada, joined Aug 2003, 4447 posts, RR: 43 Reply 3, posted (9 years 5 months 3 weeks 5 days 15 hours ago) and read 1267 times:
Some more points that have propped up in newspapers here and there :
1. The flights will restart three days before Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee is slated to be in Pakistan for Saarc Summit.
2. Pakistan International Airlines will resume flights three times a week from Lahore to New Delhi and back. Indian Airlines will restart its service at the same frequency between Bombay and Karachi, officials said.
3. The overflight rights will let Indian carriers fly directly to Afghanistan. The joint statement also said New Delhi will allow Pakistani planes up to the capacity of a Boeing 747, which can carry more than 400 passengers, to travel to India.
"The talks have been successful," India’s Director-General Civil Aviation Satendra Singh, confirmed after the meeting. "We have agreed to resume both the overflights and direct flights from Jan 1, 2004." The chairman of Pakistan International Airlines, Ahmed Saeed, told Reuters he hoped PIA could resume services quickly.
4. Before the ban, PIA operated 12 flights a week to India, he said. "We will start with the same number of flights. For PIA, it is a commercially beneficial decision." The stock markets seemed to agree, with the Karachi Stock Exchange index gaining nearly five percent and the Bombay Stock Exchange surging 2.30 percent. The resumption of flights would increase pressure to restart a train service, which remains cut off since the parliament attack.
***Now whats the scoop on IC or AI flying A 320s or A 310s to Kabul or Kandahar...any rumors on the freq's of India's AFGHAN flights...Mendis???
These flights in MARCH to PAK from India will be chocker bloc sold out when the cricket series is played in PAK involving 10 matches (3 tests and 7 one dayers). I guess now EMIRATES will stop promoting their INDIA-PAK-INDIA fares via DXB as it was double the normal BOM-KHI-BOM fare.
In 2001 my grandparents flew KHI-BOM-KHI PIA Business class for US $ 250 and Eco was US $ 135.
United777 From United States of America, joined May 1999, 1648 posts, RR: 1 Reply 4, posted (9 years 5 months 3 weeks 5 days 15 hours ago) and read 1265 times:
I am very happy for both governments! Can't wait to see India aircraft in Pakistan and Pakistan aircraft in India. Besides I hated my family taking a bus to Lahore from Delhi! Flying is so much better.
Does anybody know what are the chances of a direct link from Hyderabad to Pakistan?
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