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A-I to seek changes in Virgin deal

Rumi Dutta in Mumbai

Air-India is planning to demand a change in the terms of its agreement with Virgin Atlantic at the meeting of the representatives of two airlines on August 14. The move is aimed at ironing out differences and taking a final call on Virgin's demand for a third flight to India.

Air-India is likely to insist that Virgin Atlantic fly a Boeing 747-200 aircraft with 390 seats on the two Delhi-London flights. Virgin currently flies an Airbus 340 with 255 seats.

Senior officials at Air-India told Business Standard, "We want Virgin to operate a Boeing 747 instead of an A340 because we will be entitled to a larger number of seats on the bigger aircraft."

Air-India will also be demanding an increase in the number of seats blocked for its passengers on Virgin aircraft under the code-sharing agreement from eight in the upper-class and 54 in economy.

"Moreover, the third flight that Virgin is looking at operating is planned for Sunday, with its return on Monday. This is not acceptable to us because we already operate on the Delhi-London route on Mondays," the officials said.

Currently, Virgin operates two flights a week to Delhi from London on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Return flights from Delhi to London are on Thursdays and Saturdays. Air-India flies from Delhi to London on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays.

The Virgin flights out of India on the Delhi-London route are not part of the bilateral agreement between India and the UK. However, they make use of two of Air-India's unutilised rights between India and the UK on a block-seat, code-sharing arrangement. Air-India still has three unutilised rights on this route, which it plans to utilise with leased aircraft.

The agreement between the two airlines was signed on September 10, 1999. Virgin was to operate on Air-India's unused bilaterals. It was assured that it would be allowed to operate the third flight by October 2000, and hence fly thrice a week to Delhi from London and back. It was also assured that it would eventually be allowed six flights to India.

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