Cabinet clears Civil Aviation Policy

The Union Cabinet has given a go-ahead to the much-awaited Civil Aviation Policy, which is believed to bring many passenger friendly measures, promote regional connectivity and give the much-needed boost to the domestic aviation sector. The policy draft was first unveiled by the NDA government in November 2014, and was subsequently replaced with another draft in October 2015. The policy was to be implemented in the last financial year, but there were delays on account of difficulties in striking a balance between different key stakeholders, over issues like 5/20 rule that allows a carrier to fly abroad only if it has 20 aircraft and has flown domestic for five years.