Jet, Sahara to fly to Gulf region

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New Delhi, April 5: Private carriers like Jet Airways and Air Sahara would get to fly to the lucrative gulf countries, hitherto exclusively serviced by flag carriers, by early next year as the government proposes not to review the ban imposed on other airlines to fly to this region.
Highly placed sources said that government was unlikely to review the three-year ban imposed on December 2004, under which the private airlines could not operate to gulf countries.
The Union Government, while throwing open other foreign destinations to private airlines, had barred them for a period of three years from flying to the Gulf and kept it reserved for state carriers like Air India, Air India Express and Indian.
But now the government has made up its mind not to continue with the policy thus paving the way for private airlines like Jet and Saharra to fly to these destinations.
The sectors in Gulf include the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and these destinations have been a major source of revenue for the two national carriers.
The move would enable only Jet Airways and Air Sahara to fly to Gulf nations abroad as they meet the current criteria of having completed five years in the domestic market and fleet strength of 20 to fly internationally.
The sources said, however, there was no decision yet to review the five year criteria of flying abroad. (Agencies)
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