Source: Hindustan Times - http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1318311,0002.htm The path breaking open skies agreement between India and the United States would be signed on April 14 during the historic visit of the US Transportation Secretary, Norman Y Mineta, to New Delhi beginning later this week. The US Transportation Department public affairs specialist, Bill Mosley, told HindustanTimes.com: "The open skies agreement between India and the US would be signed on Thursday (April14). Mineta would reach New Delhi later this week from Japan along with a high-level US delegation." Mineta's two-day official visit to Japan started on Monday. He is on a trip to Asian countries to reaffirm and strengthen co-operation between the US and these countries on international transportation issues, Mosley said. Prominent among the US delegation to New Delhi are, Karan Bhatia, the Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs at the Federal Aviation Administration; and Jeffrey Runge, Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, he said. Mosley said during his historic visit, Mineta was scheduled to hold a wide range of discussions with large number of Indian leaders and officials including the Civil Aviation Minister, Praful Patel. Mosley said he was not aware of executives from any of American private airlines carrier accompanying the US delegation. "If any, they would reach New Delhi independently," he said. In March, the US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission in India, Robert O Blake, had said at a press conference in Jaipur that executives from number of airlines would accompany Mineta to New Delhi, when the open skies agreement between the two countries would be signed. Airlines from both countries are eagerly waiting for the agreement to be inked. Several major American carriers - Northwest Airlines, American Airlines, Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines -- have already announced their decision to fly direct flight to India, several of whom have already received the nod from the US Transportation Department. The decision to sign the open skies agreement was taken by Mineta and Patel during the latter's visit to the US in mid-January early this year. However, dates of the agreement were not announced then. Aviation experts observed that the open skies pact was the need of the hour because despite current restrictions the traffic between India and the US from 2000 to 2004 increased by 86.1 per cent. The number of passengers traveling between the two countries increased by nearly 30 per cent from 2003 to 2004, officials said. Leo/ORD --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Make Yahoo! your home page