Emirates Airline President Sir Tim Clark on Sunday reiterated his call for greater market access in India, urging the need for more liberalised bilateral air traffic rights to meet surging travel demand between the two countries.Addressing reporters in the national capital, Clark said, “You have to have open access” when it comes to the Indian aviation market. He added that he remains hopeful the current situation will evolve to allow for increased connectivity.The Dubai-based carrier, which marks 40 years of operations in India this October, currently flies to nine Indian cities. However, both Emirates and Flydubai have been constrained by bilateral caps that restrict weekly seat capacity between India and Dubai.Also Read: Embraer sets up subsidiary in IndiaUnder the current agreement, each side is permitted to operate up to 65,000 seats per week, a figure that has not been revised since 2015. Both Indian and Dubai-based carriers have exhausted their allocated quotas.Emirates has long advocated for an upward revision of the bilateral entitlements, citing rising demand for international travel from Indian cities and the need for improved connectivity.Clark also pointed to supply chain issues as a persistent challenge in scaling operations, describing them as a “bugbear.”The airline’s push for greater access comes at a time when the Indian aviation market is experiencing strong growth, with both domestic and international traffic nearing or exceeding pre-pandemic levels.With inputs from PTI
Emirates Airline President Sir Tim Clark on Sunday reiterated his call for greater market access in India, urging the need for more liberalised bilateral air traffic rights to meet surging travel demand between the two countries.Addressing reporters in the national capital, Clark said, “You have to have open access” when it comes to the Indian aviation market. He added that he remains hopeful the current situation will evolve to allow for increased connectivity.The Dubai-based carrier, which marks 40 years of operations in India this October, currently flies to nine Indian cities. However, both Emirates and Flydubai have been constrained by bilateral caps that restrict weekly seat capacity between India and Dubai.Also Read: Embraer sets up subsidiary in IndiaUnder the current agreement, each side is permitted to operate up to 65,000 seats per week, a figure that has not been revised since 2015. Both Indian and Dubai-based carriers have exhausted their allocated quotas.Emirates has long advocated for an upward revision of the bilateral entitlements, citing rising demand for international travel from Indian cities and the need for improved connectivity.Clark also pointed to supply chain issues as a persistent challenge in scaling operations, describing them as a “bugbear.”The airline’s push for greater access comes at a time when the Indian aviation market is experiencing strong growth, with both domestic and international traffic nearing or exceeding pre-pandemic levels.With inputs from PTI Economic Times
