Govt will proactively look at bilateral flying rights but need to promote Indian airlines: Naidu

The government will proactively look at requests for enhanced bilateral flying rights but it also wants to promote Indian airlines and develop global aviation hubs in the country, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Monday.

His remarks come against the backdrop of some foreign carriers, especially from the UAE, seeking rights to operate more flights to India, which is one of the world's fastest-growing civil aviation markets.

"We are proactively looking at bilaterals, but we want to promote Indian airlines because we want to create our own aviation hubs also," Naidu said at a briefing.

He also said there is no time limit for deciding on bilateral flying rights and they will not be specific to airports.

Bilateral flying rights are entered into between two countries that allow airlines from either side to operate a specified number of flights. There are also open-sky policies that allow carriers to operate an unlimited number of flights between two countries.

Gulf carriers have been seeking increased bilateral flying rights to India as the existing quota has been fully utilized.

In June, Emirates Airline Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim told PTI the Indian aviation market's pace of growth needs to be matched with capacity, and increased competition will provide more choices for consumers as he pitched for increased bilateral flying rights between Dubai and India.

"For the growth of the civil aviation sector, it is not only a domestic network but also an international network. The ambitions of Indian passengers have grown so much that people from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities also want to travel abroad," the minister said.

India is one of the world's fastest-growing civil aviation markets, and domestic airlines are expanding their operations and fleet to meet the rising traffic demand.

Meanwhile, India will be hosting the second Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Civil Aviation in the national capital on September 11 and 12. Around 250 representatives from 41 countries are expected to participate in the conference.

At the two-day conference, India will have bilateral discussions with various countries, including Vietnam, Maldives, Japan and Singapore. During the meeting, various topics, including bilateral flying rights, are likely to be discussed.