SIA Indian venture to fly overseas if allowed

[NEW DELHI] Singapore Airlines Ltd's Indian venture will fly overseas if the South Asian nation's next government allows carriers that are less than five years old to operate internationally.

Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said in January that India is planning to scrap a rule that requires local airlines to have five years of domestic operations and 20 planes to start overseas services. Indian elections ended this week with votes to be counted today, leaving the decision to the next administration.

"When we initially applied to set up the airline, the 5-20 rule was very much there," said Sanjay Singh, a vice-president for public affairs at Tata-SIA Airlines Ltd. "Now that it looks like the rule will be scrapped, we will definitely fly international."