India signs bilateral air services agreements with 116 countries to enhance global connectivity

India has executed Bilateral Air Services Agreements (ASAs) with a total of 116 foreign countries. The agreements facilitate the operation of international flights between India and these nations, aiming to boost global connectivity and support economic and tourism growth.

In a recent Rajya Sabha session, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, represented by Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol, provided comprehensive details regarding India’s Bilateral Air Services Agreements (ASAs) with foreign countries.

The information was presented in response to a question by Dr John Brittas.

Contrary to the query’s specifics, the ASAs do not designate individual airports as points of call (PoC). Instead, the agreements typically specify cities as points of call.

The cities designated under these agreements 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.

The Minister clarified that no Indian state has been designated as a Point of Call (PoC) in its entirety. The standard practice in international aviation agreements is to designate specific cities rather than states to facilitate international flights.

This approach ensures better management and operational efficiency, as it allows for the inclusion of multiple airports within a designated city, providing greater flexibility and coverage for airlines.

response to the request for copies of the 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 concerning the designation of states as PoCs.

By designating cities rather than states, India aims to streamline international flight operations and support a more structured approach to global air connectivity.