New Delhi, Aug 6 (Inditop.com) The number of services being operated by foreign carriers in India has almost doubled over the last five years, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said here Thursday.
“In the summer of 2004, foreign airlines operated 711 services every week to and from India, which was increased to 1,315 per week by the summer of 2009. The increase is around 85 percent over five years,” Patel told the Lok Sabha.
The minister said the domestic aviation industry recorded a negative growth last fiscal.
“Aircraft movements, passenger and freight traffic registered negative growth during 2008-09,” Patel said.
Last month, opposition members in parliament had accused Patel of favouring foreign carriers at the cost of the domestic airlines. Questioning India’s bilateral air services pacts with other countries, the opposition MPs said routes were given away to foreign carriers.
However, Patel had denied the allegations and said both Indian and foreign carriers benefited from the two-way agreements.
India has bilateral air services pacts with over 100 countries, including developed nations like the US, Canada, Russia, France, Britain, Germany, Japan and Australia.
