Australia, India Agree Open Skies Deal

Australia and India have signed an open capacity agreement between the countries, significantly extending the potential for new air services.

The agreement will allow Australian airlines to operate unlimited services between Australia and the six major metropolitan airports in India - Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.

In turn, Indian carriers will have unlimited access for flights to six Australian airports - Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, plus one more airport yet to be nominated.

The previous agreement limited capacity to 6,500 seats per week. That will now be lifted, allowing additional carriers, particularly from India, to enter the market. Currently, national airline Air India is the dominant carrier to Australia, and Qantas to India.

Other airlines with a significant presence on routes between the countries via their home bases are AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways.