The Trump administration has revived a call to spin off ATC services from the US DoT as part of a larger proposal to radically overhaul the federal govt. The 132-page plan released June 21 would streamline many govt functions beyond ATC by creating, dissolving and merging various offices and agencies. As part of the plan to streamline DoT, the proposal calls for FAA to spin off ATC services into a non-profit entity, reviving a controversial bid that failed to get congressional support in the FAA reauthorisation bill passed earlier this year even though most US major airlines strongly support ATC modernisation. The White House plan is thin on details but argues that a reformed ATC system would be more efficient and better insulated from the uncertainties of the political system. <br/>
general
Australia and India have signed an open capacity agreement between the countries, significantly extending the potential for new air services. The agreement will allow Australian airlines to operate unlimited services between Australia and the 6 major metropolitan airports in India - Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. In turn, Indian carriers will have unlimited access for flights to 6 Australian airports - Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, plus 1 more airport yet to be nominated. The previous agreement limited capacity to 6,500 seats per week. That will now be lifted, allowing additional carriers, particularly from India, to enter the market. Currently, Air India is the dominant carrier to Australia, and Qantas to India. <br/>