TMCnet News
Air India Express to fly to Malaysia from Oct. under new air services pact(Associated Press WorldStream Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia_Low-cost carrier Air India Express aims to begin flying from Chennai to Kuala Lumpur from October under a new agreement to liberalize air travel between the two countries, an airline official said Thursday. The carrier, which is a subsidiary of state-run Air India, is finalizing details of its entry to Malaysia following the signing of the pact earlier this month, said Saket Saran, country manager for Air India here. "It is a landmark agreement. It will increase the number of direct flights to Indian cities, and make travel cheaper and more convenient for passengers," Saran told The Associated Press. "Air India Express hopes to operate by October. We plan to start to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Chennai in the first phase and expand later to Trichy in southern India and to other Indian destinations," he said. Malaysia will be the carrier's second international destination after Singapore, he said. Air India Express is negotiating to fly to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, rather than to the low-cost terminal near the main airport, he added. The bilateral pact to free up air services was signed July 13 in Kuala Lumpur following two days of extensive talks between aviation authorities from both sides, the Indian High Commission said in a statement late Wednesday. The deal would allow Air India Express to fly to Malaysia, it said. The agreement followed a dispute in May when India's aviation authority threatened to cut Malaysia Airlines' landing rights in India if Indian budget carriers Air India Express and Air Sahara were not allowed to fly to Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian government granted landing rights to Air Sahara last year but state-controlled Malaysia Airlines allegedly asked the government to cancel it on the grounds that passenger volumes on the New Delhi-to-Kuala Lumpur route were low. While Air Sahara still has the landing rights, it is not clear when or if the carrier will start flying to Malaysia. Under the new agreement, the high commission said the aeronautical authorities of both countries can designate any number of airlines to operate the India-Malaysia route. The two sides agreed to enhance traffic between Malaysia and six key cities in India, namely New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad over the next two years, it said. The agreement also allow designated airlines to fly to 18 secondary airports in India, as well as remove all restrictions for cargo services, it said. "This agreement will pave the way for growth in air operations between India and Malaysia. As a direct outcome of these talks, the operations of Air India Express on India-Malaysia route are likely to commence soon," the High Commission said. Malaysia Airlines flies 27 times a week to five Indian cities, including 13 codeshare flights with Air India, Saran said. This in addition to 28 combined flights to Kuala Lumpur between Indian Airlines, Air India and Jet Airways each week, he said. Air India and Indian Airlines are merging as part of consolidation of state-run carriers but Saran said it would not affect the number of flights to Malaysia. Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |