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India willing to manage Afghan airspace after U.S.-led coaliton pullout: media

Xinhua, May 20, 2015 Adjust font size:

India has expressed willingness to manage Afghanistan's air traffic control (ATC) as the U.S.-led international military coalition will stop running the country's airspace from June 30, said local daily The Times of India Wednesday.

"We have submitted an expression of interest (EOI) for the job. Afghanistan is tendering out the work of managing its airspace and will give the contract to someone with a proven ability and track record. India is one of the biggest air space managers of commercial air travel in southeast Asia," the report quoted an unnamed senior aviation official here as saying.

India is awaiting details of what the job entails as that would be known once the tenders are made public, said the report.

A final decision will be made if Airports Authority of India ( AAI) pursues its EOI to the logical conclusion, said the report.

Six international companies, including AAI, have shown interest in bidding for Afghanistan's ATC, according to the report.

Afghanistan is a crucial air corridor on the Europe-Asia route and the country has to find a successor to the U.S.-led forces to manage the ATC that is criss-crossed by almost 300 aircraft daily.

The U.S.-led coalition has been running the Afghan airspace since 2001, when the coalition forces invaded the country in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Endi