IANS

New Delhi, Oct 6: National airline Air India will be the official carrier for the Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi in October 2010.

The airline would fly athletes to India from other Commonwealth countries for the event.

Air India Tuesday signed an agreement in this regard with the Organising Committee of Commonwealth Games.

"We have been designated official partner of the Commonwealth Games. We would ensure world class services for the athletes and other members of the contingents who will come here to take part in the games," Air India chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav said on the occasion.

Air India will also charter aircraft and take help from other foreign airlines to bring athletes, he said.

"There will also be special packages from us for people who wish to visit the Commonwealth Games here."

The 12-day event will open Oct 3, 2010 at the 75,000-capacity Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the heart of New Delhi.

Over 5,000 athletes from 53 countries that were once part of the British empire will compete in 17 disciplines. The event is the biggest India will host since the Asian Games in 1982 that saw 4,595 athletes from 33 nations take part in 21 events.

The organising committee chairman, Suresh Kalmadi, said the partnership would allow Air India to leverage the rights and benefits as permissible under the Commonwealth Games Federation protocol.

Lalit Kapur, who heads sales and marketing of the airline in the northern region, told IANS that it would soon chalk out strategies to effectively manage its flight services during the Games.