India and Japan have signed an open-sky pact which will result in the reduction in airfares.
Highlights of the Pact
- Airlines from India and Japan will soon be able to operate as many flights as possible between New Delhi and Tokyo
- Japanese airlines can add as many flights, depending on availability of slots, at six major airports in the country: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
- Indian carriers will also have no restriction on adding flights to Japanese destinations
- Japan will be a new addition to the list of countries that have signed open skies with India, after the new civil aviation policy allowed such agreements with all Saarc nations and countries beyond a 5,000-km radius.
- India recently signed such agreements with Greece, Jamaica, Guyana, the Czech Republic, Finland, Spain and Sri Lanka.
New Civil Aviation Policy of India
- National Civil Aviation Policy was approved by Union Cabinet on 15 June, 2016.
- It covers the broad policy areas, such as Regional connectivity, Safety, Air Transport Operations, 5/20 Requirement for International Operations, Bilateral traffic rights, Fiscal Support, Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul, Air-cargo, Aeronautical 'Make in India'.
- The UDAN Scheme which was launched on April 27, 2017 by PM Narendra Modi, is a key component of the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP)
- New civil aviation policy allows open-sky agreement with all Saarc nations and countries beyond a 5,000-km radius.
- The policy also mandates 80% utilisation of bilateral seat rights by Indian carriers to trigger any further increase in flying rights
