Delta Will Resume U.S. To India Non-stop

(RTTNews) - Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) will resume non-stop flights between the U.S. and India next year, almost a decade after it exited the Indian market.

The airline said Thursday that its decision to resume non-stop flights from the U.S. to Mumbai, India follows agreements between the U.S. and the governments of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to address the issue of government subsidies provided to state-owned carriers in those nations.

Delta was forced to exit the Indian market in 2009 after three subsidized state-owned Middle Eastern carriers - Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates Airline - made its service economically unviable.

"It is exciting to be able to announce Delta's return to India from the U.S. as part of our vision to expand Delta's reach internationally. We are thankful to the president for taking real action to enforce our Open Skies trade deals, which made this new service possible," Delta's CEO Ed Bastian said.

Delta will now become the second U.S.-based airline after United Airlines to fly non-stop to India from the U.S.

The service requires government approval and Delta will announce full schedule details later this year.

Delta also plans to expand its existing code-sharing relationship with Indian partner Jet Airways to carry passengers to other destinations within India, subject to government approvals.