Emirates contributed $849 million towards India's GDP annually: Study

The Dubai-based airline, which offers 60,200 seats a week to ten destinations in India, supports over 86,000 jobs in the country

Emirates, the largest foreign airline serving India, contributed $848.6 million annually to India's gross domestic product (GDP) generating $1.7 billion foreign exchange earnings, a study jointly released by the airline and the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) on Thursday said.

The Dubai-based airline is operating 60,200 seats per week to ten destinations in India. The report said its operations in India had a direct impact of $370.9 million in 2015 and indirect impact of $477.7 million towards the GDP, supporting over 86,000 jobs in the country.

The analysis stated if additional 4,500 seats is allocated to Emirates through bilateral negotiations it will provide the airline "with flexibility for further growth and allow them to respond to changes in demand in the Indian market." It said as a result of this increased capacity, the total impact on the GDP would be $896.1 million and lead to an increase in tourists by 37,728 every year.

The study said if the allocation of seats is increased to 74,049 seats per week the airline will contribute $989.8 million towards the Indian economy.