India and Saudi agree on more flights

New Delhi: India and Saudi Arabia have agreed to allow their airlines to add more flights between the two countries, India's Civil Aviation Ministry said in a statement.

Saudi and Indian carriers can now fly up to 20,000 passengers each week between the two destinations, up from the 8,500 permitted earlier.

Currently, 58 flights operated by state-run Air India and Saudi Arabian Airlines link the two countries.

Jet Airways, the only private Indian airline which is permitted to fly abroad, has also applied to fly the route, a company spokesman said.

The agreement allows Saudi airlines to add three more Indian cities to their routes, while Indian carriers can now fly to Medina, in addition to Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.