Mattanur: The central government on Tuesday rejected the demand of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to permit more flight services to airports, including Kannur International Airport. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has also rejected the demand for an additional 50,000 seats per week in the India-UAE sector. 

Last year, UAE had written to the aviation ministry and Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia seeking a rise in the number of seats. However, the Centre was not ready to do so. However, the decision comes as a setback for passengers from Kannur airport, which does not offer services of foreign companies. 

In addition to Kannur, UAE airlines, namely FlyDubai, Air Arabia and Emirates had asked for more services to the airports in Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore, Pune, Amritsar, Guwahati and Bhubaneswar. However, the Centre stands firm on its stance considering the interests of Indian companies. 

Meanwhile, the central government has repeatedly asserted that Kannur airport will not be granted the ‘points of call’ status. Apparently, Indian companies have not yet fully utilised the seats received through agreements with foreign countries.