New Delhi: The recent 'unbundling' of some services such as seat preferences or meals on board might be helping airlines to earn a lot of ancillary revenue, but the government is considering whether it could limit the number of 'preferred seats' on sale on each flight.
The government has been prompted to step in just days after it announced unbundling of these services following reports that some airlines were charging for a very large number of seats, with one of them even imposing fees for the 'congested' middle seat, official sources said.
They said the Civil Aviation Ministry was now looking at framing rules to cap the number of preferential seats the carriers can offer in a flight. However, a decision would be taken only after the airlines revert to the Ministry with their proposals identifying such seats in about 10 days, they said.
In 2010-11, when some Indian carriers had started pre-booking seats, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had stepped in and issued a directive asking them to withdraw the charges ranging from Rs 50 to 400....
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12:48 PM, May 19, 2013
New Delhi: Airlines in India have agreed not to charge extra for seats after top officials of all airlines met at the Civil Aviation Ministry in New Delhi on Friday. Earlier, airlines had said they will charge extra if passengers wanted to book seats in advance. However, now they say they will only treat certain seats as privileged ones and charge extra for them. The Civil Aviation Ministry asked all...
08:58 PM, May 17, 2013
New Delhi: In a move that would raise the cost of air travel, the government on Monday said it has allowed airlines to charge passengers for preferred seats on a flight, check-in baggages and meals, among other things. "Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh has decided to permit scheduled airlines to unbundle certain services and to charge fees for these services separately," an official release said. The services for which the...
08:50 PM, Apr 29, 2013
The Civil Aviation Ministry on Thursday abolished the Aircraft Acquisition Committee (AAC), which used to permit import of planes by airlines and other operators, thus doing away with time-consuming procedures that affected the companies. ...
06:13 PM, Mar 21, 2013
Taking cognisance of an online music video of a pilot in uniform singing a song laced with expletives, Air India management on Tuesday said it is looking into the matter and will take action only after "verifying" facts. "We have seen the video. We are verifying the facts, that whether he is a pilot with the airlines or not. And also if the video is doctored or morphed. Management will...
09:52 PM, Feb 19, 2013
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
Mumbai/New Delhi: After posting a loss of Rs 298 crore in the last quarter, Jet Airways has sought government clearance to scale down its flights to the northeastern region by about half to stem the losses. The airline, which currently operates around 38 daily services in several northeastern destinations, has written to the Civil Aviation Ministry to allow it bring these operations down by nearly 50 per cent, sources said,...
12:30 PM, Jun 24, 2012
New Delhi: The Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday said that it wanted the Civil Aviation Ministry to sort out the ongoing crisis at Air India "amicably" and that it was not in favour of sacking the striking pilots. Sources of the PMO said, "The PMO wants the Civil Aviation Ministry to come to a solution as soon as possible. The issue should be sorted amicably." They added, "The PMO is...
05:39 PM, Jun 12, 2012
New Delhi: With no resolution in sight to the Air India pilots strike, the Civil Aviation Ministry seems ready to crack the whip. Do 300 pilots of the erstwhile Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) stand to loose their jobs? And what would that mean for the airline? Nearly 440 Air India pilots have been on agitation for over 35 days, of which 101 have been sacked already, and the remaining still...
08:48 PM, Jun 11, 2012
New Delhi: A further crackdown on the striking Air India pilots is being contemplated by the management and that 300 pilots could be dismissed with the 35-day-old strike on Sunday showing no signs of being called off. Around 400 Air India pilots owing allegiance to Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) are on strike since May 7 and the services of 101 pilots have already been terminated. Sources in the state-owned airline...
11:19 PM, Jun 10, 2012
New Delhi: After virtually shutting the doors on 100 sacked Air India pilots, the government is working on a plan to replace them with those shed by some private airlines like Jet Airways. Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Thursday said alternative plans were being made to ensure that operations of the state-run carrier were normalised within two-three months so that the revival plan could be put in place. Observing...
11:56 PM, Jun 07, 2012
New Delhi: Concerned over high service tax substantially raising air ticket prices, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has urged Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to revert to the earlier rates which were capped at Rs 100 and Rs 500 per domestic and international ticket. Noting that jet fuel prices in India were significantly higher than in most parts of the world due to high tax rates, he has also strongly advocated...
05:17 PM, Jun 06, 2012
Mumbai: The Air India pilots' strike entered the 30th day on Wednesday and there is still no end to the stand-off between them and the management backed by the Civil Aviation Ministry. The pilots under the de-recognised Indian Pilots Guild have now written to the Air India Chairman saying that a channel of communication needs to be opened up between both sides to resolve the current impasse. The IPG in...
11:24 AM, Jun 06, 2012
New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry has proposed slashing state taxes on jet fuel, which may significantly bring down costs for ailing local airlines that are reeling under a debt load of $20 billion and annual losses of $2 billion. The ministry has sought opinion from stakeholders on reducing state taxes on jet fuel to a uniform 4 per cent, according to a discussion paper posted on its website. Different...
08:05 PM, Jun 04, 2012
New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Friday said that he hoped that the Air India pilots who have called in sick get well soon. "The pilots have reported sick. So, I hope they get well soon," Ajit Singh said. In a warning of the sorts, he also said that he hoped that Air India crisis doesn't deepen. "I hope things do not go from bad to worse and...
09:26 AM, May 11, 2012
New Delhi: The Indian Aviation industry has been hit by the pilots of two airlines going on strike. Four days after the Air India pilots went on strike, calling in sick, 72 Kingfisher airlines pilots in the north India region have also called in sick, demanding pending salaries. The Air India crisis worsens The Air India crisis entered its fourth day on Friday and the situation has been turning from...
07:36 AM, May 11, 2012
New Delhi: The turbulence in Air India escalated on Thursday morning. The Air India passengers continued to bear the brunt of the ongoing stand-off between the airline management and pilots for the third consecutive day as more than 20 flights from Delhi and Mumbai were cancelled. Air India has also stopped booking on some sectors. The airline is not taking any bookings bookings for Delhi-New York, Chicago, Toronto and New...
09:52 AM, May 10, 2012
New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has called the Air India pilots' strike 'inappropriate' and 'illegal' as around 100 pilots called in sick. "A strike needs a notice in advance. The Air India pilots have called in sick. Such kind of a strike is illegal," Singh said. Singh said the pilots should have some patience and should discuss their grievances with the management and try to find out a...
10:03 AM, May 08, 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: 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
