Government may review airlines’ bilateral seat sharing pact

By Mihir Mishra
NEW DELHI:Indian carriers, which are not utilising the seats allocated to them in the international sector, may have to surrender them, as the civil aviation ministry plans to review all bilateral entitlements and take back unutilised seats from airlines for disbursement.

“There are various sectors where international carriers are utilising their share of seats under bilateral entitlements but our carriers do not utilise even when they have been allocated. This is not justifiable since we as a country are losing out due to hoarding by certain Indian carriers,” said a senior civil aviation ministry official.

Currently, airlines are allowed to retain seats for three years and they can seek an extension by requesting the ministry. While the government's plan for an audit is likely to impact seat allocations to countries in the Middle East and South East Asia, it will not affect allocations to the UK and US, since India has signed an openskies treaty with them and carriers from these countries can operate unlimited number of flights to India and vice versa.