Delta has announced plans to reinstate flights between the US and Mumbai next year.

The carrier said that the move had been made possible following the recent Open Skies agreements between the US and UAE / Qatar, which it said addressed “the issue of government subsidies provided to state-owned carriers in those nations”.

US and UAE strike Open Skies agreement

In a statement Delta said:

“The framework created by the agreement allows Delta to move forward with service to India, a market long impacted by government-subsidized Middle Eastern airlines.

“This move will mark a return to India for Delta, which was forced to exit the market after subsidized state-owned airlines made service economically unviable.”

Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian gave his thanks to US president Donald Trump “for taking real action to enforce our Open Skies trade deals, which made this new service possible”.

The carrier said that full schedule details would be announced later this year, with the reinstated service subject to government approval.

Delta also confirmed its intention to expand the codeshare agreement with Jet Airways, to “provide seamless connections to other destinations within India, subject to government approvals”.

delta.com