Poland to resume air link with India

Font Size

Print

Feedback

Email

Discuss

• Discount Shoes

Related Articles

Air traffic picks up in OctoberM&M buys Aussie aerospace firmsAir Arabia to introduce 8 extra flights between Sh...ATF prices cut by 1.6%

New Delhi, June 20: In keeping with the growing importance of India as a business and tourist destination, Polish airline LOT will resume its flights to New Delhi after a huge gap of 14 years. “India has become an important destination in Asia and it cannot be overlooked any more. In the beginning the airlines will have three flights a week starting from October,” Anil Wadhwa, Indian ambassador to Poland, told FE.

In 1991, after the fall of communism in Poland, LOT stopped its flights to New Delhi as it was more interested in capturing markets in Canada and the US where some 12 million people of Polish origin live. According to Mr Wadhwa, “Now that market is saturated and LOT has to find more destinations, it has selected (New) Delhi as the first destination in Asia.”

At the same time, there is a bigger flow of tourists and businessmen between the two countries as the trade between India and Poland has crossed $400 million, he added.

Air-India will handle LOT’s airport services on a per ticket commission basis. Since Air-India has never used its bilateral agreement to fly to Warsaw ever, it always demands a higher price for handling charges, officials pointed out.

Talks between the two airlines have got bogged down in the past over prices. The respective embassies in Warsaw and New Delhi played a major role to persuade the officials of the ministry of civil aviation to allow LOT to resume its direct flight to New Delhi, officials pointed out.

“Poland is an interesting country for India because it is now an EU member and a springboard as well as entry point for the larger combined EU market,” Mr Wadhwa said.