India has opened the Gulf sector for its private airlines, the Hindustan Times newspaper Saturday quoted aviation authorities in New Delhi as saying.

It has allowed Jet Airways to start Gulf flights from Jan. 1, 2008. India's aviation policy allows no private airline to fly what is regarded as a highly rewarding sector until the end of 2007.

"The Gulf routes are reserved only for the Indian public carriers till then," a civil aviation ministry statement said.

Jet Airways, which recently started flights to the United States and Canada, has been allowed to offer 3,682 seats to Kuwait, 3,150 to Oman, 2,100 to Qatar, and 2,100 to Bahrain every week.

"Their (Jet Airways) request for grant of traffic rights on the India-Dubai and India-Abu Dhabi routes is under the consideration of the government," the report quoted the statement as saying.