Earlier this month, CE Ed Bastian hinted that Delta Air Lines might start flying to India again, after the US and UAE agreed on measures to address alleged unfair competition by Middle Eastern airline giants Emirates and Etihad. Not surprisingly, Delta announced Thursday that it will start flying nonstop from the US to Mumbai in 2019. However, while the company has taken great pains to tie this decision to the recent aviation agreement with the UAE (and a previous deal with Qatar), this was likely a minor factor behind Delta's return to India. The carrier needs to offer nonstop flights to India to stave off a challenge from United Continental. Furthermore, recent fleet upgrades, a new codeshare agreement with Jet Airways, and India's strong economy bolster the business case for Delta to fly nonstop to India. <br/>