Mumbai : Northwest Airlines (NWA) has filed a reques with the US Department of Transportation to expand its operations in India. As first priority, the airline intends to offer a service from Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport to Bangalore (via Amsterdam) beginning October, subject to government approval.

An official statement said that the airline looked forward to the final signing of the Open Skies Agreement between the US and Indian Governments.

Northwest, through its joint venture partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, has provided service to India from October 1997 and currently offers two daily flights from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Mumbai via Amsterdam. Northwest/KLM also offers a daily service from Amsterdam to New Delhi.

Northwest customers in more than 180 US cities can take advantage of the airline's India service with domestic connections at its hubs at Detroi, Minneapolis/St. Paul. and Memphis to Amsterdam. Convenient connections to India also are available through Northwest gateway cities including New York, San Francisco, and Seattle.