The governments of India and New Zealand have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation in the field of civil aviation, the Ministry of Civil Aviation shared in a statement yesterday.
The MoU encompasses various aspects, including the establishment of new flight routes, code-share services, traffic rights, and capacity entitlement.
This MoU follows an Air Services Agreement initially signed between New Zealand and India in May 2016. With a keen eye on bolstering their existing ties in civil aviation, both governments have revisited their collaboration in air services. The newly signed MoU is expected to foster deeper collaboration in this sector between the two nations.
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the bilateral agreement marks a significant step forward in strengthening the aviation ties between India and New Zealand, paving the way for increased connectivity, broader route networks, and more seamless travel options for passengers and cargo alike.
As per the terms of the MoU, airlines designated by New Zealand can operate a diverse range of services using various aircraft. They are granted third and fourth freedom traffic rights to and from six key destinations in India, which include New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata.
Similarly, designated Indian airlines enjoy the privilege of operating numerous services with varying aircraft, along with third and fourth freedom traffic rights to and from locations such as Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and three more points in New Zealand, to be designated by the Government of India.
Passengers can access interconnected train and bus services, fostering efficient travel across Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, and the United Kingdom after this partnership. Air India’s European gateways, including Amsterdam, Birmingham, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Milan, and Vienna, serve as pivotal access points for this extended network.
“Today is an important day for Civil Aviation air services between India and New Zealand. We have signed an MoU that has opened the possibilities of furthering air transport between our two countries. The open sky policy has been put in place. The point of calls has increased. We have also increased intermediate points,” said Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, India’s Minister for Civil Aviation, underlining the significance of the development.Moreover, the MoU empowers both parties’ designated airlines to operate an unrestricted number of all-cargo services, utilising any aircraft type. This includes third, fourth, and fifth freedom traffic rights to and from any points within each other’s territories, via intermediate and beyond points, regardless of the specifics laid out in the Route Schedule.
The agreement was formalised by Rajiv Bansal, Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation of India, and David Pine, New Zealand’s High Commissioner, in the presence of Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, India’s Minister for Civil Aviation, and Damien O’Connor, New Zealand’s Minister for Trade and Export Growth, among others.
