rediff.com: Virgin can provide A-I seven additional landing slots: Branson

British carrier Virgin Airways, which threatened to pull out of India unless the Indian government permitted it to increase its frequency, has said it can provide Air-India seven additional evening landing slots at Heathrow Airport if it is allowed to operate additional flights to Delhi.

"We can guarantee Air-India seven additional evening landing slots at Heathrow provided they enable us to get seven flights a week to Delhi," its chairman Richard Branson said on Monday.

He was referring to Air-India's demand for more landing slots at the British international airport.

In response to Branson's threat to withdraw flights from India, the Union government had responded by saying that it would want the national carrier to get proper slots at Heathrow to enable it to increase its flights to London.

"We want proper landing slots at Heathrow. We also want to increase our flights to the UK. We would like to have as many number of flights to that country as their airlines fly here. Bilaterals (air traffic rights) cannot be a one-sided affair," Civil Aviation Minister Shanawaz Hussain said on Monday.

Branson had threatened to withdraw his airlines' operations out of India if it was not granted 14 flights a week from Delhi and Mumbai.

"We will be extremely sorry to pull out but our current twice weekly service between London and Delhi is not commercially viable and we have lost many million pounds during the last two years," Branson told reporters.

Branson said he is willing to invest in India in new planes. "We have invested millions of dollars in India. We will certainly stay if we get Delhi, Mumbai daily frequency."

"We don't want to put the gun on their temple and ask for more flights. We are saying more out of sadness than holding out threats."

He said London-Delhi route was the only route in the world, which was not profitable for Virgin.

Stating that "slot issue was complete red herring", Branson said British government had nothing to do with the slots.

He expressed disappointment at the failure of the Indian and British government to reach an agreement on new air services. "Failure to reach agreement at the next round of talks will cast doubt on the future viability of Virgin Atlantic's London-Delhi service," he said.

He said: "Virgin Atlantic is committed to the London-Delhi route, but is frustrated at the blocks that have been put on our ambitions to expand these services and add new ones to Mumbai.



Home > Money > PTI > Report June 25, 2002 \| 1333 IST		Feedback