Various policy measures initiated by the government for the civil aviation sector have begun to yield results and the airline industry in India is witnessing a revival, union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said on Sunday. ...
04:15 AM, Mar 18, 2013
Aviation and hospitality industry experts on Thursday expressed disappointment at the 2013-14 General Budget, saying contentious issues like high sales tax on jet fuel and taxation on travel trade had not been addressed. While welcoming the concessions granted to the MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) sector, they, however, termed the decision as a "minor correction" for a "small sector right now". ...
07:12 PM, Feb 28, 2013
Duty concessions on import of spare parts and testing equipment for aircraft MRO industry were granted in the Union budget today, as the government proposed to provide a plan outlay of Rs 5,000 crore in Air India in the next financial year. "The aircraft manufacture, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry is at a nascent stage. Encouraging the MRO sector will generate employment besides other benefits. Hence, I propose to provide...
04:59 PM, Feb 28, 2013
Jet Airways Ltd is the frontrunner for an investment by Gulf carrier Etihad Airways, a senior government source told reporters on Wednesday, adding a deal was likely in 10 days. ...
05:20 PM, Jan 02, 2013
New Delhi: Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Tuesday asked the Airport Authority to scrap development fee. With this decision of the government, the Airport Development Fee will be abolished at the airports in New Delhi and Mumbai. The move will be effective from January 1, 2013. As of now, the fee at the airport is Rs 300 for a domestic ticket and Rs 1000 for an international ticket....
06:00 PM, Oct 16, 2012
New Delhi: Air India's newly-acquired Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft started its long-haul international operations on Monday with a flight to Frankfurt. "Air India's Dreamliner to Frankfurt marks a new era of its operations with the state-of-the-art aircraft on the long haul routes as well," a statement from the national carrier said. The airline received the first 787 Dreamliner from the US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing on September 8, after a wait...
07:15 PM, Oct 15, 2012
New Delhi: Air India would shift its headquarters from Mumbai to Delhi as part of its Turnaround Plan, but no date has yet been finalised, official sources said on Friday. With Delhi airport emerging as its major operational hub, most flights of the national carrier were being operated out of here. Under the Turnaround Plan, government promised a package of Rs 30,000 crore to Air India over the next nine...
07:59 PM, Oct 12, 2012
New Delhi: Several airports in Tier-II cities are likely to be designated international if a Civil Aviation Ministry proposal on the issue is approved by the Union Cabinet on Thursday. According to sources, the airports likely to be in the list are those in Lucknow, Varanasi, Tiruchirapalli, Mangalore and Coimbatore. Conversion of a domestic airport into an international one primarily entails creation of immigration facilities and deploying manpower to carry...
07:08 PM, Oct 03, 2012
New Delhi: The government plans to introduce a bill to replace aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) with a more autonomous body in the Winter Session of Parliament as part of a host of measures to meet fresh challenges in the aviation sector. Among the measures being considered by the Civil Aviation Ministry is auctioning of some prime-time flying slots to end the opaqueness in their allocation by...
07:34 PM, Sep 28, 2012
New Delhi: Notwithstanding resistance by allies, the Centre is likely to allow investment by foreign airlines in Indian aviation industry which could benefit troubled companies like Kingfisher, Spicejet and Go Air. Gulf-based carriers like Emirates could be the first foreign airlines to enter the Indian aviation sector. Sources say that the government could also hike FDI limit in broadcasting, insurance and pension sectors. The government might let the states take...
04:49 PM, Sep 14, 2012
New Delhi: After months of dithering, the government could finally clear Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in aviation when the Cabinet committee on economic affairs meets on Friday. Aviation sector in India has not being doing well. Several airlines like the Vijay Mallya-owned Kingfisher Airlines are struggling but that doesn't mean that there is no demand. The carriers in the Middle East like Qatar and Emirates understand the dynamics of the...
07:29 AM, Sep 14, 2012
New Delhi: India's civil aviation sector was the worst performer globally in July as the domestic passenger traffic contracted 1.1 per cent year-on-year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Thursday. "After expanding at 20 per cent plus rates through 2010 and early 2011, the Indian market stopped growing at the end of 2011," IATA said, adding that the contraction was due to a combination of many factors, including...
05:21 PM, Aug 30, 2012
New Delhi: Congress ally, the Trinamool Congress, has yet again forced the ruling coalition to put another of its key economic proposal envisaging 49 per cent FDI in aviation on hold. Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday sought more consultations on the proposed plans, giving a big jolt to the government's effort to revive the civil aviation sector. The decision came as a setback to private airlines like Kingfisher,...
07:23 AM, Aug 23, 2012
New Delhi: India could face the possibility of downgrading of its aviation safety system by the US if it did not take urgent steps to strengthen institutions like DGCA to meet the challenges of a fast-growing air traffic, an aviation consultancy group has said. In 2009, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), concerned by what it considered to be gross under-staffing of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), had...
02:41 PM, Jul 22, 2012
New Delhi: India could face the possibility of downgrading of its aviation safety system by the US if it did not take urgent steps to strengthen institutions like DGCA to meet the challenges of a fast-growing air traffic, an aviation consultancy group has said. In 2009, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), concerned by what it considered to be gross under-staffing of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), had...
02:41 PM, Jul 22, 2012
The air fares of flights to and from Delhi have gone up because of increased user development fee and service tax. ...
07:01 PM, Jul 16, 2012
Mumbai: Despite a marginal improvement in the seat factor, national carrier Air India (AI) has lost its market share in April, helping low-cost airline SpiceJet to become the third-largest airline in the month with a market share of 17.7 per cent, according to the latest data from the sectoral regulator DGCA. The fall in the market share of AI is significant as the national carrier has seen an improvement in...
10:33 PM, May 18, 2012
New Delhi: The government is expected to soon take a view on the proposal of allowing foreign airlines to buy stakes in domestic carriers as the Industry Ministry has moved the final Cabinet note on the matter. "We have moved the Cabinet note...it is work in progress," Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma told reporters. According to sources, before the proposal is taken up by the Cabinet, Prime Minister Manmohan...
05:23 PM, May 18, 2012
New Delhi: Thousands of passengers across the country are left stranded as Air India and Kingfisher Airlines are forced to cancel flights following a strike by pilots. National carrier Air India on Thursday stopped bookings on international sectors and cancelled as many as 21 domestic flights. The Air India management also sacked nine more pilots, taking the total number of axed pilots to 45. The management of the national carrier...
09:44 PM, May 10, 2012
New Delhi: Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Thursday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to discuss foreign direct investment (FDI) in aviation sector. According to sources, the government is likely to bring the issue of FDI in aviation to the Union Cabinet by the end of May. The government is also likely to reach out to its allies, including Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee,...
05:30 PM, Apr 19, 2012
