India Signs Air Service Agreements with 116 Countries
India has executed Bilateral Air Services Agreements (ASAs) with 116 foreign countries to boost global connectivity and support economic and tourism growth. In a recent Rajya Sabha session, Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol provided details about these agreements.
Key Points
The agreements facilitate international flights between India and these nations. Contrary to some queries, the ASAs designate cities, not individual airports or states, as points of call (PoC). This approach ensures better management and operational efficiency.
Designated Cities
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 |
| Vishakhapatnam |
By designating cities rather than states, India aims to streamline international flight operations and support a more structured approach to global air connectivity.
Doubts Revealed
Bilateral Air Services Agreements -: These are agreements between two countries that allow airlines from both countries to operate international flights between them.
116 countries -: This means India has made agreements with 116 different countries around the world to have flights between them.
Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol -: He is a government official in India who helps make decisions about things like transportation and flights.
Rajya Sabha -: This is one of the two houses of the Parliament of India, where important decisions and laws are discussed and made.
Designate cities -: This means choosing specific cities where international flights can land and take off, instead of choosing entire states.
Points of call -: These are specific places where international flights are allowed to stop, like airports in certain cities.
Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore -: These are big cities in India where many international flights can land and take off.
Operational efficiency -: This means making things work smoothly and effectively, like managing flights in a way that saves time and resources.
