Tag Archives: Minister of Civil Aviation

The newly appointed Civil Aviation Minister, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, said, “We want to make airfare affordable and want to make airways the new railways of India. Our agenda is clear.” He also announced that they will create a 100-day action plan to lead to a long-term vision for the sector aligned with the ‘Viksit Bharat’ plan.

Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia chaired an advisory committee meeting with airport operators, and key stakeholders to discuss transformative changes in airport interior design and technologies to expedite immigration and security check processes for international travellers. The meeting emphasized the common goal of positioning India at the forefront of air travel.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of Civil Aviation, has said that tourism and civil aviation are two sides of the same coin. “These two sectors are conjoined twins in terms of seeing development of each other’s sector,” he claimed.

Jyotoraditya M Scindia, Minister of Civil Aviation, has said that looking at the non-metro growth rate, which was 10.8% in 2010-2015 has today grown to almost 31%. “The future growth is going to come from the non-metros, and that’s where regional airlines will come in an that’s where the last mile connectivity would come in with small aircraft,” he added.

With the continuous rise in Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices, flight tickets are expected to cost more. HS Puri, Minister of Civil Aviation, says, “There has been a continuous rise in price of ATF, so it has been decided to increase the lower fare band by 5 per cent, keeping the upper fare band unchanged.” 

TAAI has appealed to Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Civil Aviation and PS Patel, Minister of Tourism, to set up urgent protocols for travellers who are getting vaccinated against COVID-19. “This shall enable vaccinated travellers to resume their activities to pre-COVID times and live towards a better future,” says Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI.

Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Civil Aviation, has said that the extension of travel bubble arrangement till March is only under the realm of speculation. However, he adds, “I would like to plan as we go towards the end of the year, but whether it happens till March depends on whether there is a readily available vaccine, as countries will feel more confident when frontline warriors or other people have access to the vaccine.”

Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Civil Aviation, has said that domestic airlines may soon increase their capacity to 75 per cent and it may reach more than pre-COVID levels in the first quarter of 2021. “I had earlier said that pre-COVID domestic numbers will be achieved between Diwali and New Year. Now I am confident that by the first quarter next year, we will be able to surpass the pre-COVID number,” the civil aviation minister said. Currently, the capacity is around 65%.

Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Civil Aviation, has said that they will be able to resume 55-60 per cent of domestic flights by Diwali. Speaking at a press conference, he said, “We are assuming that by the time Diwali comes this year, we would have 55-60 per cent of pre-COVID domestic flights operating in India.”

Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Civil Aviation, has said that international operations will begin in air bubbles now, which will be active with a few countries including France, US and the UAE. He further revealed that air bubbles will operate for a while and only then will regular international operations begin. “Negotiations are at an advanced stage with at least three countries. We formally signed for Air France operating 28 flights from Paris to New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru between 18th July and 1st August. Apart from that we have an agreement with United Airlines to operate 18 flights between 17th and 31st July. We have requests from Germany also, and the negotiations with Lufthansa are almost done. Some details have to be worked out,” he said.