{"id":270657,"date":"2025-06-03T14:27:43","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T14:27:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/airline\/dubai-wants-more-flying-rights-to-india-but-indias-not-in-a-hurry\/"},"modified":"2025-06-03T14:27:43","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T14:27:43","slug":"dubai-wants-more-flying-rights-to-india-but-indias-not-in-a-hurry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=270657","title":{"rendered":"Dubai Wants More Flying Rights to India, But India\u2019s Not in a Hurry"},"content":{"rendered":"


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India remains one of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world, with a burgeoning middle class increasingly taking to the skies in record numbers. As a result, the country is on the radar of global airlines, especially full-service behemoths like Emirates, which have benefited from growth in India in the past. Now they are finding themselves constrained by India\u2019s long-standing bilateral air service agreements. The calls to open up access have gotten louder\u2014especially from the UAE\u2014but India is staying firm, citing the need to allow local carriers space to grow.\n<\/p>\n

Emirates: \u201cWe are being constrained artificially\u201d<\/h3>\n

Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, has made no secret of his frustration with India\u2019s restrictive approach to international flying rights for foreign carriers. The airline, which once saw India as a cornerstone of its network, is feeling increasingly hamstrung due to the lack of additional seat entitlements to and from India.<\/p>\n

Sir Tim Clark, in a media roundtable held before the onset of the IATA AGM in Delhi, said,<\/p>\n

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We\u02bcve been stuck with 65,000 seats in each. direction (Dubai-India and vice-versa) for just over 11 years now (during which period the demand for travel has grown exponentially). For every seat we sell, there are probably 10 takers. So I don\u02bct see getting impacted by IndiGo and Air India expansion plans. In fact, there probably be a major relief valve for the pent up demand that has been in India for decades. Frankly, good luck to AI and IndiGo with getting airplanes at the pace they need<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Emirates currently operates nearly 170 weekly flights between India and Dubai, fully utilising its existing entitlements under the bilateral agreement. Despite booming demand\u2014especially from Tier 2 cities\u2014those numbers have remained unchanged for years. Sir Tim denied that the airline could operate flights from Navi Mumbai and Jewar because of the constraints on the rights that are over.<\/p>\n

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He further argued that India\u2019s vision of becoming a global hub for aviation was inconsistent with its protectionist stance. \u201cYou can\u2019t have it both ways,\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Pieter Elbers along with IATA DG Willie Walsh addresses a press conference after the IATA AGM in Delhi<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

India\u2019s View: \u201cA fair and balanced policy\u201d<\/h3>\n

On the other side of the aisle is India\u2019s largest airline, IndiGo, which has become the country\u2019s biggest player on international routes, alongside its domestic dominance. Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo and formerly the chief of KLM, takes a more measured view on the state of India\u2019s aviation policy. Without naming Emirates, he said,<\/p>\n

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If one side makes more and more noise, it does not mean you are more and more right.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a fair and balanced policy,\u201d Elbers said in a press conference at the IATA AGM.<\/p>\n

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India is not closed. It is gradually opening up in a sustainable and measured way. There is a strong belief that India has to be more than a transit point.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Pieter pointed out that it is a bilateral agreement, which means both sides have to agree on what benefits both sides.<\/p>\n

IndiGo, along with Air India, has been steadily increasing its international presence. With new aircraft deliveries and codeshare agreements, these airlines are beginning to challenge the dominance of the Gulf carriers on India-Europe and India-US corridors.<\/p>\n

Bottomline<\/h3>\n

There\u2019s no denying that India is an incredibly lucrative aviation market, and everyone wants a bigger piece of the pie. Emirates\u2019 call for more flying rights reflects the massive demand that remains unmet. But from the Indian government\u2019s perspective, the strategy is clear: build up local carriers before opening the floodgates.<\/p>\n

As it stands, there are no new bilateral entitlements on the horizon for UAE-based carriers. And while Emirates waits\u2014and waits some more\u2014Indian carriers are being handed an opportunity to take to the global skies on their own terms.<\/p>\n

What do you make of the to and fro between both sides for more access to the Indian markets?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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