Canada & India Extend Their Air Transport Agreement

Canadians depend on the aviation sector to offer a variety of international flight services for visiting friends and family and transporting products to global markets. Expanding Canada’s current air transport ties enables airlines to provide additional route choices and routing, which provides customers and companies with more convenience and flexibility.

On November 14, the Minister of Transport, the Honorable Omar Alghabra, said that Canada and India had just extended their air transport agreement. The enlarged agreement permits selected carriers to conduct unlimited flights between the two nations. The prior agreement restricted each nation to 35 weekly flights.

This critical step would enable Canadian and Indian airlines to better meet the demands of the Canada-India air transport business. Going ahead, authorities from both nations will keep in touch to explore the agreement’s expansion.

The additional powers granted by the enlarged agreement are immediately accessible to airlines.

“The expanded air transport agreement between Canada and India is a positive development for air transport relations between our countries. We are pleased to expand this relationship with additional flexibility for airlines to serve this growing market. By moving goods and people faster and easier, this expanded agreement will continue to facilitate trade and investment between Canada and India and help our businesses grow and succeed,” said The Honorable Omar Alghabra, Canada’s Minister of Transport.

“The Canada-India economic relationship is built on deep-rooted people-to-people ties. With this expanded air transport agreement, we are facilitating even more exchanges of professionals, students, businesspeople, and investors. As we strengthen our trade and investment relationship with India, we will continue building bridges like this that enable our entrepreneurs, workers, and businesses to access new opportunities,” said the Honorable Mary Ng, Canada’s Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business, and Economic Development.

Fast facts:

• India is Canada’s fourth biggest overseas market for aviation travel.
• The first air transport agreement between Canada and India was signed in 1982 and extended in 2011. This new agreement was signed by Canada’s Blue-Sky policy, which fosters the growth of international air services and long-term, sustainable competition.
• The agreement grants Canadian air carriers access to Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai, as well as Indian air carriers access to Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Vancouver, and two more sites chosen by India.
• Other cities in both nations are indirectly serviced through code-share services.
• All cargo service rights are already unfettered.