India rejects UAE request for more air traffic rights

Flights

India is not looking at increasing air traffic rights for the United Arab Emirates, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.

The UAE has urged India to increase the maximum number of seats between the two countries by 50,000 a week but Scindia said, "at this point we're not looking at increasing it".

India is one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets where demand for air travel is outstripping the supply of planes. Air India last month placed a record order for 470 jets.

The bulk of India's international air traffic is carried by Gulf carriers powered by efficient hubs.

Scindia said he wants Indian carriers to order more wide body planes and offer non-stop flights to international destinations, adding India was mobilising to handle the transportation needs of its population of 1.3 billion.