Little progress on bilateral commitments by Qatar

Lack of progress on commitments has been a cause for concern,a government official told The Indian Express. We have been holding meetings with the Ambassador Qatari and are monitoring the situation, said the official.

During the bilateral talks,the Qatari side had agreed to three major things in the civil aviation sector. First,hiring Indian pilots from Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udaan Academy and Rajib Gandhi Flying Institute. It was expected that state-owned Qatar Airways which is rapidly expanding its fleet will absorb Indian pilots. Second,investment in Indian airports infrastructure. Nothing has moved on this front too, said another government official. Third,reserve slots for Indian pilots on simulators.

In lieu of this,the government agreed to additional rights for 10,000 flights per week and Nagpur and Ahmedabad as two more ports of call. These agreements,inked in April 2009,increased the total entitlement of Qatari airlines to 23,000-24,000 flights per week.

The Gulf and the middle eastern sector is considered lucrative for Indian airlines due to a large expatriate population from southern India.