NEW DELHI_The Indian Cabinet has approved an aviation agreement with the United States for cooperation in modernizing India's airports and upgrading its aviation infrastructure, a government statement said.
The Cabinet, at a meeting on Tuesday chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved the pact which provides for assistance by the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority in developing and improving aviation standards in India.
The agreement was first proposed in April 2005.
The agreement would also allow training of Indians by U.S. aviation experts and personnel exchanges between the two countries. FAA technicians would inspect and calibrate aviation equipment and air navigation facilities in India and assist in airport certification, the statement said.
The United States has similar agreements with 100 other countries, it added.
India and the United States signed an "open skies" agreement last year, removing restrictions on the number and destinations of flights between the two countries. The agreement is expected to boost air travel between the two countries and lower fares.
For five decades, U.S. airline flights to India have been limited. Currently, American airlines operate only 14 flights a week to India, compared with 28 flights by Indian carriers to the U.S.
