Russia has received an ‘in principle’ approval by Indian authorities to operate as many as 64 weekly flights to India. The current bilateral agreement between the two countries that allows 52 weekly civilian flights between India and Russia, will soon be amended.
The decision comes in the backdrop of recent talks between the two nations to increase flight frequency. Last month, India’s Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal visited Moscow with a delegation and met with officials there to discuss bilateral cooperation in civil aviation. The discussion was part of the ninth session of the India-Russia Sub-Group on Cooperation in Civil Aviation.
Bilateral rules between India and Russia dictate that Russian airlines can fly to six destinations in India Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Goa, Amritsar, and Ahmedabad. Indian airlines too, can operate to six Russian destinations, including Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Currently, Aeroflot is the only airline flying directly between the two countries currently, operating seven weekly flights. Air India earlier flew its Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Moscow, but the service was interrupted following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.