Indian skies open up

Two of India’s major private airlines will this week begin flights to the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, signalling a big change for private carriers in the country. According to the BBC News website, Air Sahara will commence flights today, while Jet Airways will start its service to Colombo tomorrow. Up until this week, the state-owned Indian Airlines was the only carrier allowed to fly to South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (Saarc) countries, but this week’s flights come after a long-awaited decision by the Indian civil aviation ministry. Other countries are expected to follow Sri Lanka’s lead in allowing private airlines to fly from India. The website quotes one travel agent as saying that the decision should have been mad a long time ago. Pankaj Gupta reportedly said: “This will not only be beneficial to the private airlines but also to the Indian tourist who, until now, had not other option to fly the state-run Indian Airlines. Not only will the airlines make money but the passengers will get some great bargains with more players coming into the market.’ Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad