Tag Archives: Civil Aviation Ministry

Prime Minister agrees to bail out Air India subject to conditions

As expected, the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh has promised support to the state owned National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL) which operates under the brand Air India. However, also as expected, the Prime Minister has not given a blank cheque to the carrier. The amount of the bailout is subject to the airline delivering to him …

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Rescuing Air India from crisis requires hard decisions and political support

The state owned National Aviation Company of India Limited NACIL, which operates the airline Air India is in crisis. It’s annual losses have reached a staggering Rs. 5,000 crore ($1 billion) and total accumulated debt of Rs. 16,000 crore ($3.2 billion). Air India contributes 10% of global airline losses with just 0.35% of global traffic. It owes over Rs. 1,400 …

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Indian airlines clamp down on foreign pilot outsourcing

Following instructions from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Indian carriers are sending a message to their foreign pilots: thanks, but it is time to pack your bags and go back home. Since 2002 when the Indian aviation sector opened up, it has grown at a phenomenal 30%+ year on year and foreign pilots were the only solution. More than 800 …

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New investment and operations rules for airlines come into effect

Dashing the hopes of many domestic airlines who are desperate for foreign airline investments, the Government of India has put in to effect new rules governing the investments and operations of scheduled airlines which include fixing minimum levels of equity and barring any investment by foreign carriers. The rules, which were approved a few months ago, were incorporated recently into …

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Government approves fee hike by Airports Authority of India

The Indian government has approved a ten per cent increase in aeronautical charges at 84 airports across India operated by the state owned Airports Authority of India (AAI). This at a time when airports across Asia and in many parts of the world, are reducing airport and passenger charges to stimulate air travel. These charges include landing, parking and terminal …

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Airport Development Fee at Mumbai and Delhi: Heads we win, tails you lose

The airport operators at Delhi and Mumbai airports have a mantra as far us passengers go. “Heads I win, tails you lose” After a messy process, in May 2006, the Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) was handed over to the Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL) consortium led by the GMR group, for modernising, handling and management. GMR won the …

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Air India budget allocation increased to $1.6 billion

In a bid to strengthen the financial position of Air India, the Indian government yesterday substantially increased the allocation for its holding company, National Aviation Company of India Ltd. (NACIL), by about Rs 4,029 crore (approx $806 million) in the interim Budget 2009-2010. Almost the entire increase in allocation for the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) was cornered by NACIL, …

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Delhi passengers to pay more from March 1, as Government approves airport Development Fee

The Government has approved the levy of Development Fee (DF) by the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) @ Rs.1300/- per departing international passenger and @ Rs.200/- per departing domestic passenger with effect from 1 March, 2009. The DF which is being levied purely on an adhoc basis, is inclusive of all applicable taxes and is for a period of 36 …

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FAA delays Jet Airways United code share agreement, diplomatic protest launched

The US aviation regulator, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has delayed permission to a code-sharing agreement between Jet Airways (India) Ltd and United Air Lines Inc., as per the Mint. The code share agreement would have given Jet Airways passengers access to United鈥檚 five hubs of Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, and access to 20 other cities across …

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Parliamentary panel slams Civil Aviation ministry for HAL and Begumpet closure

The Sunday Times of India has published an article detailing the slamming of the Ministry of Civil Aviation by the Standing Parliamentary Committee on Transport and Tourism. Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr. Praful Patel, frequently flies in to Bangalore HAL airport, on board an aircraft owned by Delhi and Hyderabad airport promoters GMR. HAL airport closure violated In a damning …

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Kingfisher to slash fares January 1

PTI reports, Kingfisher Airlines, has said that it would effect fare cut across its network from January 1. Without specifying the quantum of reduction in fares, in a statement today, Kingfisher Airlines Chairman, Dr. Vijay Mallya said Kingfisher Airlines will begin the New Year on an aggressive note by slashing fares on its network, The current low prices of Air …

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Air travel control systems modernised at major airports

According to a PIB release, at a recent parliamentary session of the Rajya Sabha, Minister for Civil Aviation, Praful Patel informed that major work in modernisation of Air Traffic Control System (ATCs) has been undertaken at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Mangalore, Bangalore, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Varanasi and Guwahati. The expenditure incurred by Airports Authority of India (AAI) on the …

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Ministry asks airlines to reduce fares

Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), in a meeting held recently in New Delhi, has asked domestic airlines to pass on the benefits of reduced jet fuel prices to passengers by reducing fares. According to a report in Economic Times (ET) today, MoCA has also instructed the airlines to review their security systems and verify the background of their employees in …

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Civil Aviation ministry officials to inspect BIAL, again

BIA facilities under scannerB S Arun, DH News Service, New Delhi: A team of the civil aviation ministry will visit the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) on August 19 for an inspection of the facilities there in the light adverse remarks made against the new aerodrome in its report by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The ministry officials will also …

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