India-Pakistan flights to double.

[PakistaniPatriot]

Pakistan and India have agreed to double the number of weekly passenger flights between the two countries.


The two countries also agreed to expand the number of destinations served by the flights and to allow more airlines to operate the routes.

Currently a total of 12 flights a week link the Indian cities of Delhi and Mumbai with the Pakistani cities of Lahore and Karachi respectively.

The deal is seen as a sign of warming ties between the nuclear-armed rivals.

In a joint statement released after the deal was signed in Islamabad, the two countries said they hoped the agreement would facilitate "people to people contact, business and trade activities".

At present, only one airline from each country - Indian Airlines and Pakistan International Airways - is allowed to fly between the four cities.

The deal agreed on Friday would enable each side to designate up to three airlines for all the routes.

The number of routes will itself be increased to include the Pakistani capital of Islamabad and the southern Indian city of Madras (Chennai).

The deal will pave the way for direct flights between the capitals of both countries.

Peace efforts

A peace process initiated in 2003 placed great emphasis on the need to improve transport links between the two neighbours.

The modern nations of India and Pakistan were created in 1947 in a bloody partition of the vast colony of British India.

Many families were split between the two countries.

Their attempts at re-union were hampered by decades of hostility between the two governments.

India and Pakistan have gone to war three times, twice over the disputed territory of Indian-administered Kashmir.

Peace moves between the two countries have focused on shared security concerns and on improving trade and cultural ties.

 

[PakistaniPatriot]

Now that is a good and strong step to seal up the enmity between the 2 countries. Any thoughts positive or negative, all welcomed. Sorry I was not sure under which forum this news was to be put.

BBC NEWS | South Asia | India-Pakistan flights to double

 

[solid snake]

We see how easily Europeans travell between each others countries, there is no reason for Pakistan-India not to make it just as easy for their citizens to travel between the two countries. It will definitely help build relations. I myself have cousins in India who I've never met or heard of.

 

[Neo]

Pakistan, India passenger traffic may not increase ​

Saturday, February 16, 2008

KARACHI: An updated Air Services Agreement (ASA) between Pakistan and India will not serve its purpose until the two countries ease the process of issuing visas to each other’s citizens, travel agents told The News.

Aviation authorities of the two heavily populated South Asian nations concluded a two-day meeting in Rawalpindi on an agreement to increase the number of flights to 28 from 12 and added two more airlines from each side on specific routes. Currently, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) operates from Karachi and Lahore while Air India flies from Delhi and Mumbai.

Under the new agreement, Islamabad and Chennai have also been included among the designated routes. A co-terminal clause has also been made part of the agreement which will allow the six airlines to travel between the chosen cities in their home country before taking off to the neighbouring state.

However, travel industry officials doubted if this agreement would result in increasing the passenger traffic between the two countries as strict checks on people crossing into each other’s borders persist.

Tariq Bin Yousuf, General Manager Destinations of The World, an international travel facilitator, regretted that despite improvement in relations, the two neighbours do not issue tourist visa to each other.

“If you are lucky you can get a business or visit visa,” he said, insisting that the room for exploiting the tourism potential is huge. “Pakistan can really benefit from relaxation in traveling procedures. There is a lot of demand for Lahore among Indian corporate travelers besides the Sikhs pilgrims and Hindu devotees who want to visit Hinglaj Mata temple.”

Another travel agent, Shehzad Hussain, said removal of barriers to smooth processing of visas was mandatory for promoting people to people contact. “There are so many restrictions. You need references and so many other clearances.” There is need for restarting the operations of Indian embassy in Karachi, which generate great part of traffic from Pakistan, he said, lamenting that it could take someone up to two months to get Indian visa whereas a travel permit for Dubai can be obtained in few hours.

The decision to allow more airlines to operate between the two countries will help bring down the fares, Yousuf said, adding that PIA and Air India have long exploited the constraint of choice available to passengers.

A flight from Dubai to Delhi is economical than the one between Delhi and Karachi. Farooq Rehmatullah, Director General, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Pakistan, said that increase in airlines will provide choice to passengers and create competition in the market. Pakistani authorities have already allotted the available designations to Air Blue and Shaheen Air while India is yet to decide names of two more of its airlines.

The growing number of Indian people traveling to Europe and America offers an opportunity to the Pakistani private carriers to capitalize the traffic, said a senior CAA official. “These two private carriers are in the best position right now.” A spokesman of Shaheen Air said the airline was looking forward to starting flights to India but did not give any further information.

Pakistan, India passenger traffic may not increase

 

[fatman17]

visa's is the big issue (worse is the police reporting in both countries) and therefore due to the trust deficit, i dont see much progress on this initiative.

 

[sajan]

Under the new agreement, Islamabad and Chennai have also been included among the designated routes. A co-terminal clause has also been made part of the agreement which will allow the six airlines to travel between the chosen cities in their home country before taking off to the neighbouring state.

Why should they include Chennai. Why should they come to Chennai? I dont think pakistains have realtives in South India.

 

[ashfaque]

Why should they include Chennai. Why should they come to Chennai? I dont think pakistains have realtives in South India.

Sajan, This is not ture! Pakistani have lot of relatives in Hyderabad, so chennai is nearest place.

 

[Neo]

True, there's a sizeable population of South Indian migrants in the cities of Karachi and Hyderabad. My own neighbours in Karachi from Mysore.

 

[ashfaque]

I think India has huge opportunity to attract the medical travelers from Pakistan, GoI should ease the visa and promote for such kind of travels.