Tag Archives: Civil Aviation

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said, ” I believe this is a historic day. IndiGo has placed an order for 500 aircraft, this is more than 25 per cent than our fleet in 2013-14. This shows that there is immense potential in Civil Aviation sector of India”.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister, Civil Aviation, met Manohar Lal Khattar, CM, Haryana, recently and discussed many aviation related issues. After the meeting Scindia revealed that a heli-hub would be developed in Gurugram. Khattar further announced that the Haryana government has decided to reduce value added tax (VAT) rate on sale of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) to 1% from 20%.

AAI has taken up development programme to spend around Rs. 25,000 crores in next 4-5 years for expansion and modification of existing terminals, new terminals, expansion or strengthening of existing runways, aprons, Airport Navigation Services (ANS), control towers, technical blocks etc. to meet the expected growth in aviation sector. It was revealed by General (Retd.) Dr. VK Singh, Minister of State, Civil Aviation, in Rajya Sabha.

India has recorded the highest domestic air traffic since the second wave of Covid-19 hit India, revealed Jyotiraditya Scindia, Cabinet Minister, Civil Aviation. “We are well on our way to gradually regaining pre-COVID-19 traffic levels!,” he said in a tweet.

Pradeep Singh Kharola, Secretary, Civil Aviation, has said that in the last few months, the ridership for domestic operations has increased from 29,000 on first day to almost 1.8 lakh, which is a jump of virtually six times. This increase validates that all the safety measures taken by airlines and airports have worked, and indicates that the second phase of operations will see us rapidly grow from 50% to almost near normal.

Hardeep Sing Puri, Minister, Civil Aviation, has announced that they will be starting flights on one-thirds of the routes approved in the summer schedule of 2020 from May 25. The minimum and maximum fares for all the flights on these routes will be capped depending on the duration of the flight, which is divided into seven bands. He shared that the fare for the busiest route Delhi-Mumbai would be between Rs. 3500-Rs 10,000 and there will be three buckets in which seats will be allocated by the airline where they cannot exceed the prices in the first bucket by more than half of the price range of the rate capping.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has come up with a draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for commercial flights as preparations are underway to start domestic air travel in India. The ministry said that passengers might have to fill a detailed questionnaire, carry no cabin baggage and use Aarogya Setu app mandatorily. Passengers might also have to reach the airports at least two hours before departure, according to the ministry’s suggestions. The draft does not address the issue of keeping the middle seat vacant. The final SOPs are yet to be issued by the ministry. Till now, the suggestions have been sought on a draft discussion paper from airlines and airports. The draft SOP proposes that passengers would need a green status on Aarogya Setu app and would have to do web check-in as well as undergo temperature checks. A questionnaire to be circulated to the passenger and filled up by them in advance about their past history related to COVID-19 and quarantine, if any, in the last one month. Any passenger who has undergone quarantine in the last one month to be sent for security at the isolated security check unit only. The ministry has also suggested airlines maintain the same set of cabin and cockpit crew in the roster for as long as possible to prevent cross-contamination. Further, the ministry has suggested that passengers denied travel due to high temperature or age should be permitted to change their date of travel without penalty and airlines would have to maintain their records. Airports should have an isolation zone in the terminal building. State governments should provide requisite help with medical infrastructure if the airport does not have an APHO …

Hardeeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (I/C), Civil Aviation, has advised travellers to voluntarily get themselves checked for COVID-19, in case they have any symptoms. Addressing a press conference on the issue, he said, “My advice to everyone, whether they have gone as a tourists or have come in to India as part of a tour group, if they have symptoms, they should get themselves checked. While the numbers of cases of COVID-19 in India is not very high, we can’t afford to take chances. If someone came in before the universal checking of all passengers at airports started, they should come forward for a check in case of any symptoms. Some people have been identified already, and if they show any signs, they will be immediately tested. We are taking all external precautions needed, and the cabinet secretary is taking meetings every day. Under the overall control of PMO, and the PM personally, we have two groups—one is a group of ministers headed by Mr. Harshvardhan, of which I am a member. There is another group headed by the Cabinet Secretary. Each of these groups meet a number of times to take stock of the situation. It’s a case where all parts of the Government are active and in 24-hour contact with each other.”

To facilitate employment for Jet Airways’ staff, the government will launch a dedicated web portal. Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister, Civil Aviation, informed that a website would be launched listing staff of Jet Airways and help find employment in other private entities, while addressing the Rajya Sabha on the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2019. “Every employee would be listed there and the prospects for their re-employment or employment will be facilitated by the government,” he said.  The Minister, however, said that government cannot assume responsibility for a business failure conducted by a private party. Referring to Jet Airways, Puri said he was sensitive to (business) failure and willing to see what can be done within the governmental system to cushion that failure.

Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister, Civil Aviation, along with Jayant Sinha, Minister of State, Civil Aviation, have released the passenger charter. If a domestic flight is expected to be delayed by more than six hours, the airline would offer an option of ‘alternate flight’ to the passenger within that time, or it will refund the full price of the ticket. The charter also stated that if the passenger is informed of a flight cancellation less than two weeks prior to departure, the airline has to give an alternate flight to passenger or refund the ticket completely. In fact, at the time of booking, the airline has to clearly indicate the amount of refund money that will be given to passenger in case of cancellation. In case a passenger is denied boarding due to over booking of a flight, the passenger shall not hold the airline liable for compensation in case he was given an alternate flight within one hour of original flight’s departure. The charter also states that passengers can cancel tickets without having to pay any amount within a day of the booking and also claim enhanced compensation for loss of baggage from airlines. However, the new charter states that zero cancellation charge won’t apply if the tickets are booked less than seven days before the scheduled departure time of the flight.