Czech Republic keen on direct air links with India

Czech Republic will look at opportunities to restore direct air links with India as it seeks to further strengthen the bilateral ties, the European country's envoy Milan Hovorka said today.
Emphasising that both nations have a "long standing partnership", Hovorka said he was committed to take the relations to a "higher level".
"Having a direct air link between India and Czech Republic is a priority (for me)... We used to have it. Probably it was not viable for operators on either side," he said here.
There were direct civil aviation links till 1991 with a Czech Airlines flight to Mumbai. A Bilateral Air Service Agreement was signed between the two sides in 1997 but there has not been much progress in establishing direct links.

Speaking on the sidelines of a conference organised by industry body PHD Chamber, Hovorka said there is great potential for cooperation as Indian companies can join hands with Czech counterparts.
"We need not necessarily have to talk about big thing... we can talk about small airports," he said, adding that navigation and controlling system can be from companies in the Czech Republic.

Czech companies could take part in constructing low cost airports in India, Hovorka said.
"Two visa application centres in New Delhi and Mumbai. We are committed in reaching out to other parts and in having more visa application centres across the country," he noted.

When asked about cooperation between the two nations to deal with terrorism, Hovorka said Czech Republic is more than willing to look upon that issue and see what more can be done.
"This is an area (terrorism) where not only India and Czech Republic, the whole of international community has to work together to combat together against terrorism," he noted.