India signs Air Service Agreements with 116 countries

India has established Bilateral Air Services Agreements (ASAs) with 116 foreign countries, enhancing global connectivity and promoting economic and tourism growth. During a recent Rajya Sabha session, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, provided detailed information about these agreements in response to a query by Dr. John Brittas.

Contrary to the specifics of the query, the ASAs do not designate individual airports as Points of Call (PoC). Instead, these agreements specify cities as points of call. The designated cities include Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Aurangabad, Bagdogra, Bangalore, Bhubaneshwar, Calicut, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Delhi, Gaya, Goa, Gorakhpur, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Khajuraho, Kolkata, Lucknow, Madurai, Mumbai, Nagpur, Patna, Port Blair, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Varanasi, and Vishakhapatnam.

Minister Mohol clarified that no Indian state is designated as a PoC in its entirety. The international aviation agreements typically designate specific cities rather than states to facilitate better management and operational efficiency. This approach allows multiple airports within a designated city, offering greater flexibility and coverage for airlines.

In response to a request for copies of relevant pages of Bilateral Air Services Agreements designating states as Points of Call, the Minister confirmed that no such designations exist. Therefore, there are no documents to furnish regarding the designation of states as PoCs.

By designating cities instead of states, India aims to streamline international flight operations and adopt a more structured approach to global air connectivity. This method ensures better management and operational efficiency, enhancing the flexibility and coverage of international flights, ultimately supporting the country’s goal of boosting global connectivity and economic growth.