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
Mumbai: Life may get a little simpler for Mumbai's millions after a fresh transport option - a seaplane that will complete a two-hour road journey in 7 minutes which will cost Rs 750 equivalent to the cab fare for the same distance. Operated by a private operator Maritime Energy Heli Air Services (MEHAIR), the first-of-its-kind service aims to be take off mid-June, with most police, aviation and governmental clearances coming...
09:55 AM, May 12, 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
Air India has decided to add more economy class seats by reducing business class seats in its 24 narrow body aircraft as the airline has been witnessing more passengers in that class. ...
10:50 PM, Mar 13, 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
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
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways may have agreed on a valuation of $1.25 billion for an undisclosed stake in Jet Airways. ...
02:31 PM, Jan 22, 2013
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will decide on whether or not to ground national carrier Air India's Boeing Co Dreamliner jets after the US company submits a report on the aircraft's safety, the regulator's head said on Wednesday. Boeing is expected to submit a report on the Dreamliner by the end of Wednesday, Arun Mishra, DGCA told reporters, after a series of incidents heightened safety concerns over the...
02:25 PM, Jan 16, 2013
Grounded Kingfisher Airlines on Wednesday made another attempt to convince Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on its revival plans, but failed to provide any details on its funding which the aviation regulator wanted. Kingfisher chief executive officer Sanjay Agarwal met DGCA Arun Mishra in New Delhi for about 45 minutes to apprise him of the prevailing scenario facing the airline, but sources said he gave no information about any...
01:08 PM, Jan 16, 2013
Kingfisher Airlines has been given a "no objection certificate" from oil companies and some aircraft leasing companies to restart operations, a senior regulatory source said on Wednesday. Kingfisher shares extended gains to 6 percent on the news. ...
11:34 AM, Jan 16, 2013
India is reviewing the safety situation of Boeing Co's Dreamliners and will also talk to component makers of the US aircraft, the aviation regulator said on Wednesday. However, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ruled out any plans to ground the planes. ...
08:59 AM, Jan 16, 2013
Beleaguered Kingfisher Airlines on Wednesday faced fresh trouble with its employees deciding to move court seeking a formal closure of the company if it did not spell out future plans giving a time-line for clearing their salary dues of eight months. ...
05:32 PM, Jan 09, 2013
A CGM court has sought a report from the police on filing a case against former Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar. Shashank Shekhar has been accused of being involved in a corruption case involving Rs 3000 crore in the Civil Aviation Department. ...
01:29 PM, Jan 03, 2013
Pitching for the reinstatement of the 13 sacked Air India pilots, the erstwhile Indian Airlines' pilots body has urged Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh to take a lenient view on the issue saying the pilots had been in "distress and facing hardships" for the past six months. "We wish to urge and humbly request you to kindly take a lenient view with regard to the termination of 13 fellow pilots...
04:11 PM, Dec 23, 2012
Union Civil Aviation Minister on Tuesday said that aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had not received any revival plan from the Kingfisher Airlines. It is vital that the cash-strapped airline satisfies the DGCA before resuming its operations that it has enough financial strength. ...
04:54 PM, Dec 18, 2012
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03:50 PM, Dec 05, 2012
Prime-time flying slots, allotted to airlines to operate their flights to or from an airport, would soon be auctioned on an experimental basis to begin with, official sources said on Wednesday. The peak-hour vacant slots, which have been allotted but are not being used by airlines, would be auctioned "on an experimental basis", according to a proposal of the Civil Aviation Ministry. ...
05:05 PM, Nov 28, 2012
New Delhi: State Bank of India (SBI), the lead bank to ailing Kingfisher Airlines, on Tuesday cautioned the carrier that it "will not fly" if it fails to bring in fresh capital by November 30. "Banks' consortium has done everything possible to make the company (Kingfisher) work. Only the company is not working... The management has to get capital. We have given time till November 30 that they should get...
07:20 PM, Nov 06, 2012
