Chinese cargo airline to get clearance to fly to Mumbai, Chennai

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 21: Within days of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s return from China, the Government is all set to allow the Chinese cargo carrier — Great Wall Airlines — to fly to Mumbai and Chennai, besides Delhi. The Civil Aviation Ministry has already received security clearance from concerned departments that had nearly put off the plan last year. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will give the final clearance in this regard, said senior officials.

In reciprocity, China is expected to allow Jet Airways to operate flights via Shanghai in China where it plans to set up its hub.

The proposal to allow the Chinese airline to fly to Mumbai and Chennai had hit the wall earlier with security agencies objecting to it on account of the two key nuclear facilities — the one at Kalapakkam near Chennai and the other, the Bhaba Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai.

In August 2007, after several rounds of discussions between the concerned ministries and security agencies, owing to tremendous Chinese pressure, India agreed to offer New Delhi as an alternate point to extend overflying rights to the airline. This, however, was not at all acceptable to China and it hit back withholding clearances for Air India to fly to Guangzhou as agreed between both countries when Chinese President Hu Jintao visited India in November 2006. Still further, it also put a spanner in Jet Airways’ plans to fly to Chicago via Shanghai.

The issue was finally resolved when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited China last week. The Chinese are also expected to allow Jet Airways to develop Shanghai as its second hub after Brussels. Naresh Goyal, Chairman, Jet Airways, has left no stone unturned to get these rights from China, accompanying the PM business delegation to the country. Minister for Commerce & Industries, Kamal Nath, had also indicated that Jet’s proposal would now come through. This is the first time a non-Chinese airline would be allowed to operate from China, if Jet does get the go-ahead.

The deal will help Jet Airways launch its Mumbai-Shanghai-San Francisco flight and score over rival Kingfisher Airlines, which plans to fly non-stop from Bangalore to San Francisco this August. Jet Chairman Naresh Goyal had recently said that his airline was ready to commence its Mumbai-Shanghai-San Francisco flight as early as next month, if China gave clearance.

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