After deal with U.A.E., Delta to re-launch U.S. flights to Mumbai

Today, Delta Airlines released plans to re-launch its nonstop routes between the United States and Mumbai, following a gap period in which the carrier withdrew its flights to the region, when Delta says it was “forced to exit the market after subsidized state-owned airlines made service economically unviable.”

This news follows an agreement made earlier this month between the two regions, in which the United Arab Emirates agreed to increase its financial transparency as a compromise that would pacify the ongoing objections from U.S.-based carriers to the U.A.E.’s reception of government subsidies.

“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,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian. “We are thankful to the president for taking real action to enforce our Open Skies trade deals, which made this new service possible.”

The service will be operated on one of Delta’s widebody aircraft, likely increasing the airline’s belly cargo capacity between the regions, which is in high demand, especially for pharmaceutical shipments – a major export to India.

The new service, still pending government approval, is set to start next year.