Dubai Airports today said Indian airlines operate more number of flights than their Dubai-based counterparts between the two countries despite "competitive slot situation".
The remarks come against the backdrop of Indian carriers raising concerns over not getting adequate and right slots at Dubai airport, which is one of the world's busiest aerodromes.
"We welcome the expansion of the flying rights between India and Dubai. Despite the competitive slot situation, Indian carriers continue to grow services, operating more frequencies than Dubai-based airlines between Dubai and India," Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths said in a statement.
Noting that there is a clearly demand for more seats, he expressed confidence that the airlines operating on these routes would take up more seat capacity, if agreed by Dubai and India, and reap the benefits of that growth.
Dubai Airports is the operator of Dubai International airport.
"Dubai International is the busiest airport for international passenger traffic in the world, with 90 carriers connecting the airport to more than 240 global destinations with high demand for a limited supply of slots," Griffiths said.
In the statement titled 'Dubai Airports clears the air on slot allocation for Indian airlines', Griffiths said it is important to understand that the assignment of traffic rights via bilateral agreements and slot allocation are two discrete processes.
"Traffic rights are negotiated between governments. Slot allocation is managed separately by an independent organisation at arm's length and in accordance with international guidelines established by the International Air Transport Association.
"Specifically, Dubai International's slots are allocated by an independent slot coordinator, Airport Coordination Ltd (ACL), in accordance with IATA guidelines. ACL conducts slot allocation activities at other major international airports around the world as well," the statement said.
The statement was also released by the Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO) -- which implements strategic communication plans for Dubai government.
Meanwhile, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha today, Union Minister Jayant Sinha said that airlines of India and the UAE (Dubai) are utilising their full capacity on India- Dubai route.
Currently, these airlines operates 559 flights every week on this route. Between India and the Gulf, around 4.2 lakh seats are available every week, with Dubai leading the chart with over 65,000 seats each per week.
To a query in the Lok Sabha on whether India has recently held talks with the UAE for more slots to Indian airlines to user their full capacity, Sinha replied in the negative.
"However, the bilateral talks between the two countries are held from time to time, as and when both parties agree to discuss," he said.
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