India and Kuwait sign new air services agreement
The new deal will see weekly seat capacity between the two countries rise from 8,000 to 12,000 next month
The civil aviation authorities of India and Kuwait have signed a new air services agreement, designed to increase weekly seat capacity between the two countries by 50% – from 12,000 to 18,000 in each direction.
The deal, signed by the representatives of the Kuwait Directorate General of Civil Aviation and India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation, is the first increase in bilateral air rights between the two nations since 2006.
The aim of the agreement is to grow demand for air travel between the two countries, and reflects a joint effort to cooperate in civil aviation, catering to the evolving needs of travellers.
A number of airlines have requested seat allocations following the signing of the agreement – IndiGo has asked for 5,000 seats, Air India Express and Akasa Air 3,000 each, and Air India 1,500.
Operations under the new capacity terms are due to begin in August, with allocations expected to focus on high-demand routes from cities such as Chennai, Kochi, Bengaluru, and Thiruvananthapuram.
An Air India plane crashed shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad, India, last month.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor for Voyageur Group, joining in 2021. He writes for both ITIJ and AirMed&Rescue, covering a range of topics including international travel and health insurance, medical assistance provision and air medical transportation. He also serves as Title Editor of the Assistance & Repatriation Reviews. Oliver holds an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University, as well as a BA in English with Creative Writing from Falmouth University.