Tag Archives: policy

Anticipated change(s) to the 5/20 rule and its impact

A view of the ramp at Bangalore Airport.

The Indian government is in the final stages of finalizing the civil aviation policy and the 5/20 rule remains one of the core issues of contention. With the rule being integral to international operations and expansion strategy, airlines are lobbying hard for/against it depending on their own plans. The 5/20 rule was introduced in 2004 and stipulates that an airline …

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Indian aviation largely overlooked in the 2016 budget

The nightly aircraft line-up tail parade at the apron of Kempegowda International Airport Bangalore

For all the talk of the Government promoting aviation and as the industry watched with baited breath, the budget seems to have continued the Modi-government’s ignoring of聽 civil aviation. The sum-total budget proposals pertinent to aviation do not even warrant us writing an article. If anything, they could likely be summed up in an SMS message.聽Namely, Aviation turbine fuel (ATF) …

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Opinion: India needs long-term systemic changes to boost aviation sector

The nightly aircraft line-up tail parade at the apron of Kempegowda International Airport Bangalore

For the better part of this year, India has suffered the ignominy of being one of only 11 countries relegated to Category 2 status by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as its safety oversight regime did not meet international standards. The relegation dealt a serious dent in the operations of India鈥檚 airlines by a freeze on their US …

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Opinion: Proposed civil aviation policy is a good wish list but needs specifics

Air India Airbus A321 VT-PPO. Seen here handing in the early morning light at Bangalore Airport.

In a welcome move, the Indian government published a draft civil aviation policy via the ministry of civil aviation yesterday, November 10th. However, industry stakeholders the were left wanting. The document lacks the comprehensive, detailed, well laid-out, and deliberate plans that addresses the urgent, nay critical needs of the industry and by extension the nation and its economy. Read the …

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Opinion: Phased abolishment of 5/20 rule will be fair to all Indian airlines

The nightly aircraft line-up tail parade at the apron of Kempegowda International Airport Bangalore

One of the most regressive pieces of policy in Indian commercial aviation is the ‘5/20 rule‘ which requires Indian carriers to fly for a minimum of five years and have a fleet of 20 aircraft before they can operate overseas routes. At a time when the Indian economy was growing, and air traffic rising exponentially, this rule held back Indian …

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