Since
the past two years, Civil Aviation in India has made giant strides
and is today a major contributor to the growth of the national economy. Apart from providing connectivity in a large
and diverse country like India and serving the transportation needs
of the people in a speedy, cost-effective and efficient manner,
the aviation sector has also greatly facilitated the development
of domestic and international tourism, business, commerce and trade.
During the last two years, Indian Civil Aviation Industry
witnessed significant opening up of Indian skies, paving the way
for increased international and domestic connectivity. In fact,
air travel, for the first time, has become affordable for the common
man.
Boom in Air Travel
The recent
growth in the Civil Aviation Sector has been more than encouraging. In the first three years of the tenth plan,
air transport has grown at an average rate of per cent per annum
as against the plan estimate of 5 per cent.
In fact, during the year 2004-05, air transport witnessed
a very high growth of above 24 per cent. The Government is, therefore,
convinced that an average growth rate of 16 per cent p.a. is achievable
by 2010. Such growth can
be achieved with a paradigm shift towards greater liberalisation
and significant private sector participation in infrastructure development.
The present macro economic forecast in the country
is 6-8 per cent GDP growth rate over the coming years and already
India is the fourth largest economy in the world in terms of purchasing
power parity with its 300 million strong middle class. The growth
of service sector now demands a faster, safer and wider network
of air service. If the present growth trend can be sustained,
civil aviation will be the reason for the “take off” of the Indian
economy.
Entrepreneurs, bankers, financiers and investors
world-wide are now convinced about the healthy growth prospects
for Civil Aviation in India. Therefore,
it is not surprising that a number of new airlines are proposing
to enter the market while existing airlines are
going for significant
fleet expansion/renewal. Five new airlines, viz.
Air Deccan, Kingfisher, Spice Jet,
Paramount Airways and Go Airlines have started operations in past
one and a half year or so. Two
more new airlines, viz. Indigo and Indus Airways are expected to
start operations shortly.
There has also been a significant increase in both domestic
and international air traffic as well as cargo in India during the
year 2004-05.
Ø
AAI handled 7.3 lakh aircraft movements (12% over the previous
year)
Ø
59 million passengers (20% over the previous year)
Ø
1.3 million tones of cargo (22% over the previous year)
Traffic
trends:
|
Year
|
Aircraft movements
|
Passenger movements (in million)
|
Cargo movements (in tones)
|
|
Intl.
|
Dom.
|
Total
|
Intl.
|
Dom.
|
Total
|
Intl.
|
Dom.
|
Total
|
|
2001-02
|
107824
|
402108
|
509932
|
13.62
|
26.36
|
39.98
|
560226
|
294050
|
854276
|
|
2002-03
|
116442
|
444208
|
560650
|
14.82
|
28.90
|
43.72
|
646137
|
333222
|
979359
|
|
2003-04
|
132934
|
506042
|
638976
|
16.62
|
32.08
|
48.70
|
693173
|
375029
|
1068202
|
|
2004- 05
|
158191
|
571827
|
730018
|
19.45
|
40.09
|
59.54
|
824876
|
465036
|
1289912
|
Liberalisation of Air Services
Liberalisation of air services in the last one
year has created history. It
has increased connectivity and helped in lowering fares. Under a revised air services agreement with USA, both sides can
designate any number of services to any point in the territory of
the other country with full intermediate and beyond traffic rights. Similarly, traffic rights were enhanced with
18 other countries also in order to enable greater connectivity
to/from India, e.g. Australia, UK, Germany, China, France, Netherlands,
Belgium, Canada, Singapore, Mauritius, New Zealand, UAE etc.
This will lead to more flights and better connectivity from
these countries to India providing more commercial opportunity to
all operating carriers.
Progress in Implementation of ‘7 + 7’ Policy
In pursuance of
the policy framework to permit the designated airlines of all countries
having Air Services Agreements with India to operate 7 flights/week
each to any two international airports in India, the designated
airlines of Austria, Finland, Republic of Korea, Maldives, Armenia,
Yemen, Ukraine etc. have been offered additional capacity, as requested
by the respective Governments, subject to reciprocal rights to the
Indian carriers.
Opening up of International Routes to Private Carriers
With a view to optimally utilising the traffic rights available
to India under various bilaterals, it has been decided to permit
Indian scheduled carriers with 5 years of domestic operations and
with a minimum fleet size of 20 aircraft, to operate on all international
routes except Gulf countries, which have been kept reserved for
Air India and Indian Airlines for a period of 3 years.
Jet Airways and Air Sahara have so far been permitted to
operate to Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, UK, Malaysia and Singapore.
The Government has also decided to
formulate appropriate measures for establishing improved operational
synergy between Air India and Indian Airlines for their mutual benefit.
Consequently, there will not only be more balanced utilisation
of traffic rights between Indian and foreign carriers, but also
the competition will bring down tariffs, which will benefit passengers
directly. At the same time,
there will be an increase in capacity and connectivity that will
benefit passengers by giving them more seats and choices.
Policy Regarding
Commercial Agreements
The policy of the Government mandated commercial agreements,
which is prevalent only in India, has been a point of severe criticism
from various quarters, including Ministry of Tourism. It has been decided that Government will not henceforth mandate
any commercial agreement during bilateral Air Services consultations. Foreign airlines starting new air services,
therefore, will not have to pay compensation to our airlines by
way of mandated commercial agreements.
This will help to bring down tariffs and increase connectivity,
thereby providing direct benefits to passengers.
Limited Open Sky
Policy
Non-availability of seats to and from India during the peak
winter season has been one of the major constraints faced by passengers.
In order to ensure sufficient availability of seats, a limited
Open Sky Policy was adopted by the Government for the year 2005-06,
under which designated foreign airlines have been permitted to mount
as many services as they wish to the available points of call subject
to the terms and conditions of the existing commercial arrangements
between the airlines of both sides for the period December 1, 2005
to January 31, 2006. Also foreign airlines have been permitted to upgrade their equipment
at their existing frequencies during the period November 1, 2005
to March 31, 2006.
Removal of
Restriction on Photography
India was among the few countries in the world,
which had restrictions on photography by passengers at the terminal
buildings of the airports and from inside the aircraft.
These restrictions had outlived their utility and often presented
a rather negative image of the country to the foreign travelers,
particularly tourists who were accustomed to take photographs at
airports and while in flight. These
outdated restrictions have now been removed through amendments in
Aircraft Rules to permit photography by passengers of scheduled
flights at the terminal buildings of civil aerodromes and civil
enclaves at Defence aerodromes. In addition, passengers are also now permitted
to take photographs from inside an aircraft while in flight or landing/take
off at civil aerodromes.
Amendment in Aircraft Rules
The Aircraft
Act and Aircraft Rules are reviewed from time to time and amendments
are carried out to keep the provisions abreast with the international
standards and development in the civil aviation sector.
As part of this initiative, amendments to Aircraft Rules,
1937 have been carried out relating to removal of restriction on
photography by passengers at the terminal buildings of the airports
and from inside the aircraft, air fares and relaxation in upper
age limit for the pilots from 60 to 65 years, subject to fulfillment
of certain conditions.
Low Cost Operations by Air India
In what is a boon for expatriate Indians working in the Gulf
Region and S.E. Asia, Air India has operationalised “Air India Express”,
a new budget carrier under the banner of Air India Charters Limited
(AICL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India has commenced operation
with dry lease aircraft over a period of one year from March, 2005,
to April, 2006. Flights to South East Asia and Gulf (excluding
Saudi Arabia) are being operated by this carrier at substantially
reduced fares effective summer of 2005.
Acquisition of Aircraft by Air India Ltd.
The proposal
for acquisition of aircraft by Air India and Air India Charters
Limited (a subsidiary of Air India), for acquisition of 50 aircraft,
viz. 8 x B777-200 LR, 15 x B777-ER and 27 x B787-8 by Air India
at an estimated cost of Rs. 33,197.47 crore and 18 x B737-800 aircraft
at an estimated cost of Rs. 4,952 crore, has been accorded approval
by the Government.
New Stations
Connected/Operated by Air India
Air India has started flights to Shanghai and
Los Angeles and also introduced terminator flights from Ahmedabad
to London. Air India has
identified need for non-stop operations to USA and is tailoring
its fleet acquisition accordingly.
Services to the following 12 new destinations have been planned
in a phased manner:
San Francisco, Washington, Houston,
Toronto, Manchester, Beijing, Seoul, Taipei, Sydney, Lagos, Mauritius
and South Africa.
Refurbishment of Aircraft by Air India
With a view to enhancing passenger appeal, Air India has undertaken
major cabin interior refurbishment on its 6 owned B747-400 and 8
owned A310-300 aircraft
.
On the B747-400 used on India/Europe/USA
prime routes, refurbishment will include replacement of seats, toilet
modules and provision of state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment
system, besides mood lighting and change of interiors and exteriors.
On the A310-300 fleet, which has a
limited residual life, seats, wall panels, galley and toilet exteriors
will be refurbished and the cabin provided a more contemporary look
with leather upholstery and provision for DVDs in Executive Class
for in-flight entertainment.
New International Connection by Indian Airlines
The company
introduced services on the following new routes in the international
sector:
Winter 2004 Schedule
Guwahati-Bangkok
v.v. 2 flights/week
with A-320
Summer 2005 Schedule
Delhi-Kuala
Lumpur v.v. Daily
flight with A-320
Mumbai-Bangkok
v.v. Daily
flight with A-320
Mumbai-Sharjah
v.v.
Daily flight with A-320
Delhi-Kabul
v.v. 3
flights/week with A-320
Hyderabad-Singapore
v.v. 3
flights/week with A-320
Gaya-Yangon
v.v.
1 flight/week with A-320
Jaipur-Kuala
Lumpur v.v. 2 flights/week
with A-320
Winter 2005 Schedule
Pune-Singapore v.v. 2 flights/week
with A-320
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Civil
Aviation Sector
The Central
Government has increased the Foreign Direct Investment limits in
“Air Transport Services (Domestic Airlines)” and revised limits
are as under 49 per cent through automatic route; and 100 per cent
by Non-Resident Indians through automatic route
(No direct or indirect equity participation by foreign airlines
is allowed).
The issue of PIO
cardholders being accorded a dispensation similar to NRIs in case
of FDI in Air Transport Services (Domestic Airlines) is under examination
of the Government.
Acquisition
of 43 Aircraft by Indian Airlines
The Government
conveyed its approval on September 29, 2005, to Indian Airlines
for acquisition of 43 aircrafts, viz. 19 A-319, 4 A-320 and 20 A-321
from Airbus Industrie, all powered with CFM 56-5B engines and related
spares, spare engines, equipment etc., at a total estimated cost
of approx Rs. 9,888 crore (@ US$ = Rs.46).
Subsequently IAL held discussions with Airbus Industrie and
CFM and has signed Letter of Intent (LOI) on December 16, 2005.
Delivery of the aircraft would start from October, 2006, and complete
delivery of 43 aircrafts is likely to be made by March, 2010.
Cargo operations of Indian Airlines and Air India
Indian Airlines is
into the final stages of examining conversion of 5 B737s into freighter
aircraft to use them on a hub and spoke concept with Nagpur as a
hub to offer express /retail courier services.
Air India is planning
to significantly expand its cargo operations in a phased manner
over the next 2 years. For
this it plans to dry lease 1 A310 dedicated freighter and one B747
dedicated freighter and convert two A310 aircraft into aircraft
for freighter services. Through these measures Air India’s revenues
for cargo services increased from Rs. 4,000 crore to approximately Rs. 6,000 crore in 2005-06.
Outstanding Dues of Vayudoot Limited
Consequent
upon the decision to merge Vayudoot with Indian Airlines in 1993,
it was decided to freeze all outstanding dues of Vayudoot for a
period of 5 years and thereafter payment by Indian Airlines in 10
annual instalments. This period of moratorium was further extended
for 2 years i.e. upto May 24, 2000.
In view of its severe financial position, IA had requested
this Ministry to provide funds for disposing off the liabilities
of Vayudoot. The matter was under consideration of the Government
for quite a long period and it was finally decided to grant Rs.138.33
crore to IA to discharge the liabilities of Vayudoot. Out of this amount, IAL has disbursed an amount
of approx. Rs.135 crore to the various creditors. Action is in hand to clear the remaining small
liabilities.
Notification of AAI (Amendment) Act, 2003
The Government
has notified the AAI (Amendment) Act, 2003 on July1, 2004,
to enforce the provisions of the said Act, which, inter alia, provides
for restructuring of airports through leasing route, exclusion of
private airports from the ambit of AAI Act excepting security and
ATC functions which will continue to be discharged by AAI and also
empowers the Government for levy of Advance Development Fee (ADF)
for the development of existing airports and also for the setting
up of new airports.
Restructuring of Delhi
and Mumbai Airports
The International
airports in Delhi and Mumbai are being restructured and modernised
through Private sector participation. In the Joint Venture, AAI and other Government PSU will be holding
26 per cent equity. The
strategic partner will hold the balance 74 per cent. The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in this transaction has been
capped at 49 per cent.
It has been
estimated on preliminary basis that the capital investment to the
extent of Rs.7, 961 crore and Rs.6,131 crore will be required for
Delhi and Mumbai airports, respectively, over a period of 20 years
in 4 stages of 5 years each. The above estimates do not include
cost of likely relocation of some of the assets and removal of encroachments.
The Operation Management & Development Act was signed by the
JV consortium on April 4,
2006 and the handing over of the airport took place on May 3, 2006.
Bangalore
International Airport Limited
Greenfield
airport project at Devanahalli, near Bangalore, is being implemented
on a Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis with Public – Private
– Participation (PPP). The government of Karnataka (GoK) and Airports
Authority of India (AAI) together hold 26 per cent
equity and the strategic joint venture partners hold the
balance 74 per cent.. AAI’s investment in the equity is capped at
Rs. 500 million. A Consortium, led by Siemens, Germany with Unique
Zurich, Switzerland and Larsen & Toubro India Limited as other
members have been chosen as the strategic Joint Venture Partners.
The Shareholders Agreement, the Concession Agreement, the
State Support Agreement and the Land lease Agreement have been executed.
GoK is extending Rs.3.5 billion as State support and is providing
approximately 4,000 acres of land on concessional rent.
The communication
Navigation Surveillance / Air Traffic Management Agreement (CNS
- ATM) have already been signed.
Operation and Maintenance
Services Agreement, financing Agreements etc. are signed. The approximate
cost of the Project Rs.14 billion.
The target opening date of the airport is 33 months from
the date of Financial Close. The Financial Close was achieved on
June 23, 2005, and the formal implementation of the Project commenced
on July 2, 2005. This project
will be ready for operation in April, 2008.
Hyderabad
International Airport Limited
Another Greenfield airport is being developed in Shamshabad,
near Hyderabad on BOOT basis with Public Private Participation (PPP)
by the government of Andhra Pradesh.
The approximate cost of the Project is Rs.17.6 billion. A
Special Purpose Vehicle under the name and style of Hyderabad International
Airport Limited (HIAL) has been set up.
AAI and Government
of Andhra Pradesh together hold 26 per cent equity with AAI’s equity being capped at Rs.
500 million. The balance 74 per cent
being held by the strategic partner, a consortium consisting
of M/s GMR Enterprises and Malaysian Airports Holdings Berhard (MAHB). The Concession Agreement was signed on December
20, 2004, the Shareholder’s Agreement the State Support Agreement,
the Land Lease Agreement on September
30, 2003, and the CNS / ATM Agreement have already been executed.
The target opening date of the airport is 36 months from the date
of Financial Close. The Financial Closure was achieved on
August 22, 2005.
Trivandrum Airport
AAI Board
in its 89th Board meeting held on July 12, 2005 and adjourned
Board meeting held on July 15, 2005, approved a proposal for construction
of a new international terminal building at Trivandrum Airport at
an estimated cost of Rs.245.58 crore (Phase-I Rs.165.48 crore +
Phase –II Rs.80 crore).
In addition
to the terminal building, an apron to hold 22 bays 6-E Category
(in-contact) 4 D Category (in-contact) + 12 D&C Category (Remote)
is also proposed. In the
first phase apron is proposed only for 2 in-contact and 2 remote
“E” CAT bays.
Planning
Commission has since given ‘in principle’ approval to the project.
AAI has submitted a PIB Memo for the construction of the terminal
building at an estimated cost of Rs.165.58 crore and has sought
to obtain the approval of the PIB.
Chennai Airport
An ‘in principle’
decision has been given by Prime Minister to modernise Chennai airport
through Joint Venture route. The
matter is being processed for obtaining early approval of the Cabinet.
Airports Authority of India has been requested to start preparatory
work such as collecting information regarding land requirements,
additional land, encroachments, traffic projections, capacity assessment,
document preparation etc.
New Greenfield
Airports at Navi Mumbai, Goa, Pune and Ludhiana
A proposal
for construction of a new international airport at Navi Mumbai proposed
by the government of Maharashtra is under consideration. The Government has conveyed in principle approval for Airports Authority
of India (AAI) to conduct a simulation study through International
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to develop procedure for conflict-free
operations at the proposed airport and the existing CISI Airport
at Mumbai.
The Government
has approved construction of a new airport of international standards
at Mopa in Goa. The State
government has appointed a Technical Cooperation Bureau of ICAO,
Montreal, Canada, as consultant for implement the airport project
for conducting Technical Economic Feasibility study.
A proposal
by the government of Maharashtra to develop an international airport
at Chakan near Pune is being processed.
A Technical Economic Feasibility study was conducted by AAI. A team of AAI is studying the proposal by Ministry
of Defence that the orientation of new runways at Chakan should
be the same as orientation of runway at existing airport at Pune
for safe airspace management and aircraft operations.
The government
of Punjab has proposed establishment of a Greenfield Airport near
Ludhiana. The government
of Punjab has been advised to get a pre feasibility report prepared
and to forward the same to this Ministry, along with State governments’
comments on acquisition of land, connectivity and other utilities
like electricity, water etc. The State government has also been requested
to obtain a clearance from Ministry of Defence in view of the close
proximity of the proposed site with several defence aerodromes.
Modernisation of Non-Metro Airports
Apart from restructuring of Delhi and Mumbai
airports and Greenfield airports approved to be set up at Bangalore
and Hyderabad, Airports Authority of India (AAI) has decided to
modernise 35 tentatively selected non-metro airports to world class
standards in phases with focus on airside and city side development
and enhancement of non-aeronautical revenues with an estimated cost
of Rs. 5,000-5,500 crore, excluding the land side development.
In the first
phase, ten airports have been taken up in hand and the remaining
in the subsequent phases.
The Global
Technical Advisor (GTA)/ Indian Financial Consultant (IFC) have
considered various options including Public Private Partnership
for development of initially selected 10 non-metro airports.
The joint Venture for modernisation and development of each
airport would be one of the options depending upon feasibility and
availability of resources.
The Empowered
Sub-Committee of the Committee on Infrastructure has set up a Task
Force to decide on the financial plan for development of these non-metro
airports.
\GPS and GEO Augmented Navigation
Orders have
already been placed for supply, installation and testing of the
ground network of GPS aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN). This would include the hardware for 8 reference
stations, master control centre and a part of the uplink station,
which will be supplied, installed tested and handed over by the
contractor. This will be integrated to the RF section of
the uplink station which is being implemented by ISRO. The navigation payload of the GSAT-4 Satellite,
which ISRO will be putting in orbit for operationalisation of “GAGAN”.
Reference Station and Master Control Station installation
is in progress.
Haj Operations
For Haj 2006, the Government has decided
to increase the number of persons performing Haj through the arrangements
made by the Haj Committee under the Government subsidy scheme from
82,000 to 100,000. It has
been decided to retain the amount of Rs. 12,000 to be paid by each
pilgrim for round trip to Jeddah/Madinah and remaining as subsidy
to be paid by Government to airlines. The outgoing phase of Haj operations 2006,
have already commenced from December3, 2005.
There are 15 embarkation points from where the Haj Committee
pilgrims will be airlifted to Jeddah.
Augmentation of Fleet by Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd.
Pawan Hans
Helicopters Ltd. had augmented their fleet by inducting two Dauphin
AS365N3 helicopters and one light helicopter Bell 407 in 2004. The
Company has now signed an agreement for purchase of two Dauphin
AS365N3 helicopters on December 5, 2005.
These helicopters are likely to be delivered by May, 2006.
The Company has also exercised the option to purchase one
more light helicopter Bell 407, which is likely to be delivered
by end of March 2006.
Development in North Eastern Region
Indian Airlines
and its subsidiary Alliance Air have been taking special measures
to ensure connectivity in the North Eastern States. Indian Airlines/Alliance Air operates 116 flights per week offering
9053 seats and connects 11 stations in the North Eastern states. Besides, Indian Airlines also links Guwahati
with Bangkok on a twice weekly basis.
The ATR operations
of Alliance Air are governed by a Memorandum of Understanding signed
between the North East Council and Alliance Air on August 4, 2004,
which sets out the detailed objectives and requirements envisaged
in connection with the ATR services in the North East.
The Memorandum of Understanding is effective from the financial
year 2002-03 onwards for a period of 5 years.
Besides Indian Airlines/Alliance Air,
Jet Airways, Sahara Airlines, Air Deccan and Kingfisher Airlines
are also operating scheduled air services to/from different stations
in the North East Region.
PHHL have provided helicopters to the State governments in
North-East, namely Sikkim, Tripura, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh,
which connects 33 destinations, 64 sectors and 156 weekly flights
of helicopters operated by Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd. under the
lease agreements. At present, 4 helicopters are deployed in the
NorthEastern sector in the aforesaid manner, excluding the one undergoing
overhaul in Russia. Two
more PHHL helicopters are deployed with MHA and NHPC, to provide
helicopter services in the North-Eastern sector.
The helicopter operations in this sector are subsidised by
the State government as well as Ministry of Home Affairs.
International Air Cargo Facilities at Airports
AAI has established
international cargo facilities at four domestic airports, namely
Nagpur, Guwahati, Lucknow and Coimbatore.
As far as
Indian Airlines is concerned, cargo revenue from April-December,
2004 has shown an increase of over 19.25 per cent, compared to the
same period in the preceding year, and Indian Airlines had introduced
a new facility called Shipment Notification System to promote export
cargo through which shipper will be informed about the status of
his shipment ex-inland cargo stations via e-mail and SMS.
As far as
Air India is concerned, it has decided to operate dedicated freighters
on key cargo routes, i.e. India/Europe/USA, India/Japan, India/Singapore
and India/China. It has
proposed to retrofit its older A310 aircraft and sought to dry lease
up to 3 AB310 freighters and 1 B747-400 freighter for providing
bridge capacity in the interim.
Fog Management at IGI Airport, Delhi
IGI Airport,
Delhi has been upgraded to CAT III-B.
However, in view of the inconvenience caused to travelling
public from December 23-25, 2005, due to cancellation/delay in flight
schedules because of fog, Secretary (CA) took a meeting on December
27, 2005, with all the airline operators.
He informed the airlines that the customer care/satisfaction
should be foremost in their scheme of things. Towards this end,
he asked them to depute their senior officers at airports to handle
and pacify passengers in such situations. He also suggested all the airlines including
the low cost that they should provide some refreshment to the passengers
in case of delays.
AAI would
provide additional counters for refreshment purposes and also space
to accommodate more passengers. He insisted that all airlines should
train their pilots to operate in Cat III-B conditions and if they
fail to do so it would not be possible to approve their scheduled
operations in/out of Delhi for the Winter Schedule of 2006.
Nagpur and Jaipur Declared International Airport
Nagpur airport was declared an international airport
on April 8,2005, and re-named as Dr. Ambedkar International Airport. International flights started at Nagpur with
the first flight of Air Arabia landing there on October 16.2005.
International operations have been increased from Jaipur
airport after it being declared international airport on December
29, 2006
Contingency Plan for hijack situation
Cabinet Committee on Security(CCS) in its meeting held on August 9, 2005,
has approved the Revised Contingency Plan for handling aircraft
hijack situation. It has also approved the Coordination Procedures
(CP) between civil and defence aviation authorities and Standard
Operating Procedures (SOPs) for handling a hijacked aircraft being
used as a missile against strategic targets.
New Scheduled Operators
Apart from
the existing scheduled operators, scheduled operator permits have
been given to Air India Charters Ltd., Kingfisher Airlines Ltd.,
Spice Jet, Paramount airways Pvt Ltd. and Go Airlines in the year
2005. There are thus, 12
scheduled airlines operating in the country at present viz.
1.
Air India Ltd.
2.
Air India Charters Ltd.(Air India Express)
3.
Indian Airlines
4.
Airline Allied Services Ltd.(Alliance Air)
5.
Jet Airways
6.
Sahara Airlines
7.
Deccan Aviation Pvt. Ltd.
8.
Kingfisher Airlines Ltd.
9.
Spice Jet Ltd
10.
Paramount Airways Pvt. Ltd.
11.
Blue Dart Aviation (Cargo)
12.
Go Airlines
Besides, M/s.
Inter Globe Aviation Ltd. and M/s Indus Airways Pvt. Ltd. have also
been issued NOC by the Government to operate scheduled air transport
(passengers) services.
New Civil Aviation Policy
The new Civil Aviation Policy is in the final stages of preparation
before being sent to the Cabinet for approval.
Airport Economic Regulatory
Airport Economic Regulator Authority (AERA) is on the anvil
and a Bill to establish the same is expected to be tabled in the
Parliament after cabinet approval.
Shortage
of Pilots/ Flying Training Institute
With the opening up of the Indian skies,
more and more private airlines are either operating air services
or are in the process of inducting more aircraft in operations. This has increased the requirement of pilots.
With a view to provide flight training to aspiring youth, a
National Flying Training Institute is being established at Gondia
in Maharashtra. For this
purpose, a token provision of Rs. 1 crore has been made in the financial
year 2005-06. A Project Director has since been appointed
to initiate Registration to complete formalities / procedures. A
detailed project report is also being prepared.
After this report is finalised, the exact estimated cost
of the project, the likely date of opening of this Institute and
the number of pilots to be trained shall be firmed up.
Upgradation of IGRUA
The Government proposes to upgrade Indira Gandhi Rashtriya
Uran Akademi(IGRUA), Rae Bareli at an estimated cost of Rs. 57 crore,
approximately. The upgradation
includes induction of single engine and multi engine aircraft, rebuilding
of helicopters, modernization of runway, construction of additional
building for hostel, hangar and office and acquisition of the adjacent
Sultanpur airfield. The
upgradation would increase its output from 40 trainees per year
to 100 trainees per year.
Restructuring of DGCA
A committee set up in August 2005, by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, under
the chairmanship of Shri M. K. Kaw, former Secretary (Civil Aviation),
to review the role and functions of the Directorate General of Civil
Aviation (DGCA), presented its report to Minister for Civil Aviation
Shri Praful Patel.
The terms of reference of the Committee were:
Ø Functions
of DGCA as envisaged by ICAO
Ø Regulations
authorising DGCA to carry out its functions
Ø Comparison
of regulations with international requirements
Ø Organisation
of DGCA, its manpower and training requirements
Ø Procedures
adopted by DGCA for
q
Licensing of airlines;
q
Licensing of personnel i.e. pilots, flight
engineers, navigators; engineers, flight dispatchers etc.;
q
Examination system; and
q
Clearance of international scheduled and
non-scheduled flights
Ø Administrative
and financial autonomy of SDGCA for discharge of its functions.
Ø To
conduct audit as per ICAO Protocol in preparation for ICAO Audit.
Ø To
advise whether there is a need for converting DGCA into an independent
statutory authority/corporation.
The broad recommendations
of the Committee are:
Ø
Government needs to finalise its civil aviation
policy and give it a statutory basis in the shape of a new Civil
Aviation Act.
Ø
There is no need to create a plethora of regulatory
agencies in the field of civil aviation.
Ø
The DGCA should be statutorily notified as the
sole apex body for safety and economic regulation of the sector.
It should also act as a catalyst for the growth of the manufacturing
sector.
Ø
There is no need to convert it into an authority.
This might make it commercial in outlook and dent its effectiveness
in performing the sovereign function of regulation.
Ø
There should be a National Civil Aviation Advisory
Committee to lay down the policy and review it from time to time.
Ø
DGCA should be given a sufficient budget and have
clear-cut administrative and financial autonomy through a DGCA Council
and its Empowered Committee.
Ø
DGCA should liberalise its regulatory framework
so as to give a greater fillip to the already burgeoning civil aviation
sector.
Ø
There should be a national training policy, a Central
Air University, several State air universities, a DGCA Training
Academy and tighter control and supervision over flying training
schools and AME training institutions.
Ø There should
be an Indian Civil Aviation Service to man the various positions
in the DGCA.
*****
