Adani Airports Ltd has called on the Indian government to ease restrictions on how many seats foreign carriers can sell on flights to and from India, arguing that the current seat caps, set by bilateral air service agreements, are constraining growth in the aviation sector and limiting India’s ambitions to become a global aviation hub.
At a recent aviation event in Hyderabad, Adani Airports CEO Arun Bansal said that these limits have long frustrated international carriers, including Emirates, which often has demand far exceeding the weekly caps under existing treaties. Bansal called for a shift toward a more liberal “open skies” approach to expand connectivity and support India’s rapid aviation market expansion.
Adani Airports operates eight airports across India and is pursuing an $11 billion expansion strategy that includes bidding for additional airport assets. Advocates of easing seat caps believe the change could significantly boost foreign carrier presence and international links, while opponents, including some domestic airlines like IndiGo, argue that sudden liberalisation could put pressure on local carriers still scaling up their fleets.
