India-Pakistan flights set to more than double

New Delhi: India and Pakistan can now operate 28 flights a week to each other's country, almost twice the earlier number of 12, according to civil aviation minister, Praful Patel. He informed the parliament that the increase in services has come as a result of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed during the bilateral air service consultations between India and Pakistan on 14-15 February at Rawalpindi.

Flights from India can now land at Islamabad while flights from Pakistan can land at Chennai, Patel added. According to the MoU, each country can now designate three airlines to operate in the other country.

So far, State-run Air India is the only Indian carrier operating in Pakistan, while Pakistan has designated three airlines Pakistan International Airlines, Shaheen Air International and Air Blue that can operate in India.