New Delhi: A Group of Ministers on Civil Aviation, headed by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, is likely to meet on Thursday to decide on allowing foreign direct investment in the Aviation sector. On the agenda are issues like allowing foreign carriers to have a stake in domestic airlines and sales tax on jet fuel. On Tuesday, the GoM had decided to allow the airline companies to import jet fuel...
08:28 AM, Feb 09, 2012
New Delhi: A latest report prepared by the civil aviation ministry has made some startling revelations. The report indicates that a mere 14 per cent of scheduled flights which operate in the country cater to a mammoth 55 per cent of the nation's total population. The report states that Haryana, Sikkim, Puducherry, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli have almost zero connectivity, while 11 states - Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh,...
09:31 AM, Feb 04, 2012
New Delhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation has doggedly refused to grant sanction to the CBI to prosecute six people who were responsible for signing a deal with Airbus to procure 43 aircraft for Air India (AI) and cause a loss to the exchequer. The CBI completed its preliminary enquiry into the Airbus procurement deal in 2011 and sought permission from the Ministry of Civil Aviation to lodge an FIR...
06:38 PM, Feb 01, 2012
New Delhi: The Civil Aviation Ministry has started working overtime to formulate a new policy to cater to the latest concerns of the aviation industry, especially issues relating to its sustainability like jet fuel pricing, infrastructure, airfare pricing, safety and security. A meeting of major stakeholders and senior Ministry officials was held on Friday to list the entire gamut of issues, elicit the views of the industry and service providers...
08:05 PM, Jan 27, 2012
New Delhi: Air India has been put on notice by the Chief Information Commissioner for refusing to reply to specific RTI queries pertaining to a flight that was cancelled and used allegedly to ferry former Civil Aviation Praful Patel's daughter Poorna Patel and some IPL players. On April 20, 2010, a scheduled Delhi-Coimbatore flight was cancelled less than 12 hours before its departure. This flight was then used to ferry...
06:57 AM, Jan 26, 2012
New Delhi: Weeks after the aviation regulator warned Kingfisher not to compromise on aviation safety, its promoter Vijay Mallya on Wednesday met DGCA top brass in New Delhi and discussed the financial and operational recovery plan of the cash-strapped airline. "He (Mallya) has a recovery plan. It is up to us to see that he keeps to the plan," DGCA chief EK Bharat Bhushan told PTI after over an hour-long...
07:13 PM, Jan 25, 2012
New Delhi: The Civil Aviation ministry has recommended 49 per cent FDI in the airline sector. Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said a cabinet note allowing foreign airlines to invest in domestic carriers will be floated. "Government will float cabinet note allowing foreign airlines to invest 49 per cent," Ajit Singh said. Earlier, the ministry was pushing for 26 per cent FDI in airlines. Ajit Singh also said the government...
06:09 PM, Jan 17, 2012
New Delhi: Air India pilots on Saturday called off their stir after from the CMD and Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh for the payment of their pending salaries. Singh promised that the dues of the Air India pilots will be paid soon, adding that it will take time because the finances are in bad shape. "Next week I will meet the Finance Minister about it, we will try to pay...
09:06 PM, Jan 14, 2012
New Delhi: Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Saturday promised that the pending salaries of the Air India pilots will be paid soon, adding that it will take time because the finances are in bad shape. "Next week I will meet the Finance Minister about it, we will try to pay not all the salaries and allowances but most of it should be paid," Singh said. Air India flyers bore the...
04:38 PM, Jan 14, 2012
New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Saturday said that the financial condition of Air India is very bad and the airline is under heavy debt. According to reports, 18 pilots have called in sick and 20 flights have been cancelled from Delhi till Saturday noon. "Some Air India pilot reported sick. AI financial condition is very bad. They are under heavy debt. The government is aware of it....
11:41 AM, Jan 14, 2012
New Delhi: Aviation regulator DGCA, which came down heavily on Kingfisher and Air India Express for ignoring safety requirements, has also found serious lapses on part of other carriers on major counts. Airlines like IndiGo, SpiceJet, Jet Airways, GoAir, Alliance Air and JetLite have been rapped for issues like non-reporting of incidents, lack of pilots, proper and regular training, absence of qualified safety officials and non-compliance of safety audits. A...
06:09 PM, Jan 07, 2012
The DGCA has warned airlines that they cannot compromise on safety despite financial stress. ...
11:19 PM, Jan 05, 2012
New Delhi: The CBI has written to the Civil Aviation Ministry once again seeking an early decision on its request seeking sanction for prosecution against six officers, including a joint secretary, for alleged irregularities in the over Rs 8,000-crore Airbus deal for supplying 43 aircraft to erstwhile Indian Airlines in 2005. The reminder was sent as the agency completed its probe in the Preliminary Enquiry, sources said, adding prima-facie it...
05:53 PM, Dec 21, 2011
New Delhi: Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh will be sworn in as the new Civil Aviation Minister. This comes a day after Singh met UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to seal his party's tie-up with the Congress for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections. Later, the Congress had confirmed that Ajit Singhs would join UPA as an ally. "Sonia Gandhi has accepted in principle to make RLD a constituent of...
08:52 PM, Dec 12, 2011
New Delhi: Seeking to turnaround the cash-strapped Air India, the government is considering a nearly Rs 30,000 crore package for the national carrier over a period of 10 years, official sources said on Monday night. According to the proposal, the government is considering writing off Rs 4,500 crore cash loss of Air India, infusing an additional equity of Rs 6,750 crore and Rs 17,000-18,000 crore for its fleet acquisition programme....
04:33 AM, Nov 29, 2011
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