A Bahrain delegation, comprising representatives of the Transportation Ministry and Bahrain Air, will visit India for talks on ways to resolve a dispute over flights to Kerala.

A sudden cancellation of Bahrain Air's newly-launched flight to Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday night left 140 passengers stranded for more than 24 hours.

The airline later announced its regret and said that the Indian authorities had not yet approved the continuation of its flights to Thiruvananthapuram for the summer season, which started on March 26.

The Indian Embassy is fast-tracking arrangements for the delegation to visit India and its members should be able to leave in a day or two, Indian Ambassador Mohan Kumar said at an open house at the embassy yesterday.

"The airline and the Indian Civil Aviation Ministry knew that the contract would expire on March 24, but they just left the issue ride without negotiating a new deal," he said.

"We are now trying to encourage talks between the two parties and have taken the initiative to allow a Bahraini delegation from the Transportation Ministry and the airline to visit New Delhi to resolve the matter.

"Bahrain Air flies to other destinations in India but this is the most convenient route for many Indians and this is why we are interested in having the flight resumed," he said.-TradeArabia News Service