Bangalore: Additional US-bound flights would be introduced from Bangalore, Kochi and Hyderabad under a new code sharing bilateral between Air India (AI) and Lufthansa from December 1, Union Civil Aviation Minister Rajeev Pratap Rudy said on August 25.

Speaking to reporters, he said under the new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be signed this week, AI would operate four flights a week via Frankfurt from Bangalore and Hyderabad and three from Kochi. Lufthansa would operate three flights from Bangalore and Hyderabad and four from Kochi.

Rudy said Lufthansa had agreed to provide a "prime slot" for Air India at Frankfurt.

Asked about the Singapore Airlines flight from Bangalore, he said they had themselves withdrawn it. On British Airways, he said, "We are not stopping anything. Whatever bilateral we have, we are honouring it. But the additional market, we also want a share."

Answering a query, he said Air India and Indian Airlines had been brought "out of disinvestment for the present".

About acquisition of additional fleet, he said Indian Airlines proposed to acquire 43 more aircraft and the board of directors had completed the "techno-economic feasibility".

On the aircraft proposed to be purchased, he said there was "talks of A-320, 390, 321 or an equivalent".

After the Cabinet decides and the order was finalised, it would take 18 months for induction.

PTI